19/03/2017
NEWS STORY
A grandstand in Sochi is to be named after Russia's first F1 driver, Vitaly Petrov.
The Turn 2 grandstand is positioned on one of the tightest corners of the track, scene of a number of incidents over the years and likely to be even more challenging this year as a result of the new rules.
Turn 2 sees the cars braking from 200 mph before the section which saw Daniil Kvyat tangle with Sebastian Vettel last year.
Petrov, born in Vyborg, began his career in motorsport in 2001 and in 2010 became the first Russian driver in F1, his biggest achievement being third place at the Australian Grand Prix in 2011.
"I'm incredibly grateful to the organisers of the Grand Prix for the honour and respect shown to me," said Petrov. "This is a really significant event in my life!
"I'm sure that the grandstand named after me will always be packed, because it is located in one of the most exciting places of the track, where at the end of a straight the cars accelerate to 200 mph, and all twenty drivers attack each other at the entry of the second right-hand corner. Throughout the race, we will also see some amazing overtakes!"
Since leaving F1, Petrov has raced in DTM and also Sports Cars, finishing third in last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans race (LMP2) and again in the 4 Hours of Estoril.
The Vitaly Petrov Grandstand is equipped with two large screens and a PA system. Another advantage of the grandstand is that it is located near the Central Square of the Olympic Park and to get to the centre of F1 Village, one just need to go down the stairs.
In 2014, T3 Grandstand was named after Daniil Kvyat.