Vitaly Petrov more relaxed with Caterham

After Lotus signed two new drivers’ for 2012 in Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean, Russian driver Vitaly Petrov was seemingly without a drive as the 2012 season loomed ever closer. However, that fact changed after the first pre-season test when Caterham announced that Petrov would replace Jarno Trulli for 2012.

With Vitaly Petrov openly speaking out against Lotus (formerly Renault) last season, it was apparent the Russian F1 star was not at ease within the team. After a slow start to the 2012 season, which has seen Petrov retire in Australia and finish 16th in Malaysia, the Russian has now spoken of a more relaxed atmosphere within Caterham in comparison to his previous team.

“I feel quite happy.” Explained Petrov, when asked about his feelings about Caterham, “I feel more free to work. I felt much less pressure on my shoulders. Definitely I still have pressure because I have a very strong team-mate [Kovalainen], so I need to work quite hard. But in general I’m a little bit more relaxed than last year.”

Vitaly Petrov acknowledges the fact that his team-mate, Heikki Kovalainen, will be his biggest rival in 2012, but he is confident that he and Caterham can continue improving. In China, the team are bringing several updates to the car, which Petrov hopes will benefit the team.

The Russian driver will be hoping history repeats itself this year, as Petrov has finished within the points in every Chinese Grand Prix he has contested, albeit with the Lotus team.

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