Petrov thrilled with clinching tenth in the Championship for Caterham

Vitaly Petrov is thrilled with clinching tenth in the Constructors’ Championship with Caterham, after a tough 71-lap Brazilian Grand Prix in utterly treacherous conditions. Heading into the race saw Caterham behind Marussia in the Championship, however a superlative 11th from Vitaly Petrov saw them leapfrog their Anglo-Russian competitors.

Throughout the final part of the 2012 season, Caterham have remained adamant they would eventually catch Marussia in the Championship. Seeing as the three bottom teams in the Championship failed to score any points throughout the season, their Championship positions were determined by their highest finishing position outside the points. This meant Caterham needed to somehow finish the race 12th or higher to thwart their opposition, something which Vitaly Petrov managed to achieve after a tense season finale.

Although neither Caterham, Marussia or HRT scored any points this season, finishing tenth in the Constructors’ Championship is worth in excess of $10 million for the lucky team. For the majority of the second half of the season, it has looked as though Marussia would once again finish tenth, however the unrelenting Caterham outfit failed to loose sight of their nearest competitors, and finally finished high enough to clinch that all important position in the Championship.

“What an incredible race.” Enthused a thrilled Vitaly Petrov after the race, “I’m so pleased for the whole team and I want to thank every single one of them for doing such a fantastic job in the conditions today. Seeing what regaining tenth place in the Championship meant to everyone when I got back to the garage was really special and I think we deserve it after all the hard work we’ve put in throughout the whole year. On track it was one of the hardest races I’ve ever been in, but also one of the best.”

The extra income which the team will receive for clinching tenth in the Championship could well see either Vitaly Petrov or Heikki Kovalainen be retained by the outfit for next season, despite neither drivers apparently set to bring a huge amount of sponsorship money to the team in 2013. The lucky candidate will team-mate Charles Pic next season, regarding the team decide against lucrative offers from other candidates up and down the grid.

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