14/11/2010
NEWS STORY
Mat Coch writes:
The hero and villain of the championship deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix proved to be Vitaly Petrov. The Russian driver elected to pit on the opening lap once the Safety Car had been deployed, the decision proving to be an inspired choice as he raced his way to sixth position at the flag.
When championship leader Fernando Alonso pitted on lap 15 the Ferrari driver rejoined behind Petrov's Renault, a position he maintained until the end of the race. Speaking with the Russian media after the race Petrov claims to have simply driven his own race.
Needing to finish fourth to guarantee the championship, Alonso launched only one serious attack during the entire 40 laps the pair were locked together. Clearly frustrated, the Spaniard moved towards Petrov and gesticulated as the duo toured back to the pits after the race, though in reality the championship was lost when Ferrari elected to pit early in reaction to Webber. This allowed the sister-Renault of Robert Kubica to drop in ahead of the pair after his final stop, hammering the final nail into Alonso's championship coffin.
Renault was clearly impressed by his efforts, team boss Eric Boullier claiming it made amends for the disappointment of Turkey where the Russian had been in contention for points before a puncture dropped him down the order.
During the post race press conference newly crowned world champion Sebastian Vettel was appreciative of the Russian driver's contribution to his title success by holding Alonso at bay.
"Directly or indirectly, thanks a lot," said the German. "Hopefully he will be around next year!" Petrov's performance wasn't lost on Red Bull boss Christian Horner either, who suggested that he owes Petrov "a big drink" for his efforts.