Seen as a market on which neither F1 nor French manufacturer have had too much luck in recent years – despite Renault's 25 percent stake in AvtoVAZ – Russia has a Formula One driver for the first time in history, through Petrov. Meaning the French manufacturer would benefit a lot if Petrov becomes successful in the championship, as would Bernie Ecclestone's F1.
“Vitaly has not come into F1 because of the money, but because of the strategic interests of various companies, and because of his driving talent. He was at the right place in the right moment, when Renault was expanding its partnership and Russian production with (car brand Lada maker) AvtoVAZ,” said Kossatschenko in an interview with Austrian financial newspaper WirtschaftsBlatt.
Following Petrov's signing with Renault, Russia moved fast into supporting their 25-year old driver, as the very PM of the country Vladimir Putin officially announced governmental support for Petrov's seat, through Lada.
“The team wants to expand into Russia and Petrov is the key for them. For Formula One, Russia is a white sheet of paper,” added Petrov's manager, who reckoned that F1 is a business and his client has an important part to play in it.
“In Vitaly's career there have been tempting offers that we have turned down when we realised that the teams didn't want the driver, only his money. Formula One is a business. The team has a budget of just over EUR200 million, but the (Renault) group owns only 25 per cent of the shares and so cannot cover the budget,” concluded Kossatschenko.
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