Lotus-Renault GP today confirmed their 2011 and 2012 driver line-up with the announcement that Vitaly Petrov will remain with the Enstone based outfit for the next two years.
The Russian driver will continue to parter Robert Kubica after a fairly successful 2010 campaign.
Petrov is looking forward to two more years of competitive driving with the team and says he expects to improve further to deliver the expected results.
“I am very happy to continue with the team and proud to be representing Lotus Renault GP for the 2011 and 2012 seasons,” he confirmed.
“I learned a lot about the sport, the circuits and the car this year. That will help me improve even more in the future. I am very excited about working with this great team once more, and I’m confident that I will deliver. In many ways, 2010 was about learning. 2011 will be about performing. Today, I feel I am ready to rise to this challenge.”
Gérard Lopez, Chairman of Lotus Renault GP, added: “We’re delighted to have Vitaly on board for another two years.
“Last season, he showed on several occasions that he clearly has the potential to deliver. It was just a matter of putting everything together during the same weekend, race after race, and this will be his target for 2011.
“Also, thanks to Vitaly and the team, Russia is opening up to Formula 1. Over the past few months, we’ve established close links with this country and with some of its strongest companies. We’re looking forward to building on this special relationship and turning it into a very successful adventure over the next two seasons.”
Eric Boullier, Lotus Renault GP Team Principal, also commented: “We are very pleased to confirm that Vitaly will be staying with us for 2011 and 2012, in order that both he and the team can build on a promising 2010 campaign.
“The entire team has been working flat out over the past months to improve our competitiveness, and a stable driver line-up is essential to achieving our targets. Robert Kubica provides a remarkable benchmark for both speed and consistency, and we are certain that Vitaly will move closer to this level of performance next year.”
