Renault have accepted Vitaly Petrov’s apology, which he issued to the entire workfore at the Enstone factory, following a negative outburst against the team.
The Russian driver criticised the outfit for their poor pit-stops and lack of developments, something his contract bans him from doing.
Renault team principal Eric Boullier has however closed the matter, describing it as an emotional outburst following a less than expected result at the Abu Dhabi GP.
“The interview was made minutes after Vitaly jumped out of the car last Sunday,” the Frenchman told the Renault website.
“The race was tough, he was upset not to have scored points, he was exhausted. Drivers are not robots, they’re human beings. Also, like every driver, Vitaly is a competitor. Had he been on the podium in Abu Dhabi, he would have complained about not winning the race.
“We take this incident as exactly this – an incident. Vitaly has apologised to the team and sent an email to all the staff at Enstone. As far as we are concerned, the matter is closed.”
Petrov issued the below apology to the Renault management and staff, claiming such an outpouring of critical emotions wouldn’t happen again.
“You may have read some negative comments from me on the internet this morning,” Petrov wrote in a letter seen by Autosport.
“In an interview given to Russian TV straight after the race in Abu Dhabi, I expressed myself in an inappropriate manner; I criticised the team, your work and our lack of performance. This was unnecessary and I wish to apologise.
“I’m not trying to seek excuses, but I was still high on adrenalin from the race, I was exhausted and, just like you, I was very disappointed not to have made it into the top 10. I realise that the season is as tough for you all as it is for me, and I should not have said what I said.
“Once again, I would like to apologise sincerely and promise you that this will not happen again. We’ve all pushed as much as we could this season and I have one last opportunity to try and make you proud in Brazil next weekend. I will do my utmost to present myself in a better light there than I have today.”
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