Petrov Asked by Renault to Lose Weight

Although Vitaly Petrov's DNFs this season have hardly happened because of driving mistakes, as reliability issues were the ones preventing him from finishing an F1 race, the Russian has been kindly asked by his team to lose some weight this season.

The news was reported by German publication Auto Motor und Sport, which revealed that the former GP2 driver currently weighs 10 kg more than his teammate from Renault Robert Kubica. However, the two are about the same height, being among the tallest drivers in the F1 paddock.

The Polish driver had some similar problems last year, when partnering Nick Heidfeld at BMW Sauber, as the German was shorter and weighted less than Kubica. With the introduction of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), the extra holograms counted enormously in setting a good balance to the car in 2009, so he had to lose several pounds in order to become competitive.

Although KERS was shed from the F1 action for the 2010 season, heavier fuel tanks – due to the refueling ban – have replaced it in the series. With all the weight positioned in the rear of the car, having some extra kilos to work with – translated into ballast, positioned in certain areas of the single-seater – would undoubtedly help Renault create a better balance for Petrov's R30.

So far, Petrov experienced suspension and gearbox issues with his R30 – in Bahrain and Malaysia respectively – while spinning his way out of the Australian Grand Prix. Except for Michael Schumacher, the Russian is the only F1 driver to sit on a 0-3 record against his teammate after the first 3 rounds of the 2010 campaign. Additionally, he is yet to cross the finish line in F1, heading to the upcoming Chinese GP.