Being one of the few drivers who opted for a 2-pitstop strategy in the Sunday race, Petrov managed to perfectly nurture his tires until the chequered flag and finish (for the second race running) in front of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Only this time, he scored his first podium finish in career, something that not many would have put their money on prior to last weekend's event.
That being said, Renault's team principal Eric Boullier revealed his relief over signing the Russian driver for the future, reckoning that he invested a lot in Petrov and it seems all of that is now paying off.
“It is good to see him reacting in a nice way,” said Boullier about Petrov, who has been under a lot of pressure to deliver following his up-and-down year last season. “He had a couple of very nice races last year, very promising, but also a lot of mistakes as well.”
“I put a lot of pressure on him and we spent a lot of time discussing things. We put him in an environment where he could understand the English culture of F1 – what we expect from him and to help him grow up as a driver. It looks like we achieved something good for him.”
Additionally, Boullier also admitted to feeling vindicated by Petrov's performance, as his team has gone through a lot of difficulties in the past few months. Having shocked the world of F1 with their highly innovative forwards exhausts, the Renault staff made plenty of efforts to make the new system work, after which the team had to deal with Kubica's rally crash a few days later.
“We gambled very early last year on innovation on our car. Clearly it is a different concept and everyone is still scratching their head about the decision,” said the Frenchman. “We had a tough winter as well with Robert, so on top of all that it is a big relief to see that the tough work, the hard work, has paid off.”
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