Formula 1 news

Enjoyable first test day for Petrov

Vitaly Petrov was pleased with his work after racking up another 75 laps on his first outing for Renault. The 25-year-old team-mate to Robert Kubica makes Formula 1 history this year by becoming the sport's first ever Russian driver.

Petrov in discussion with Chief Race Engineer Alan Permane

Hailing from Vyborg, Petrov was eventually last year's closest challenger to GP2 Champion Nico Hülkenberg, who also made his Formula 1 testing debut on Wednesday, with Williams.

"I really enjoyed my first day in the car and everything went well," Petrov reported. "The car is very impressive compared with a GP2 car and I enjoyed experiencing the power and braking performance.

"After about 30 laps I was starting to feel comfortable and understanding the limits of the car. It was also my first chance to work with my engineers and so far everything is going really well, so I'm happy with the day."

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