• Australian Grand Prix

Petrov happy with maiden podium

ESPNF1 Staff
March 27, 2011 « McLaren can be proud - Hamilton | »
Vitaly Petrov said his Renault team "did everything perfectly" to take third place © Getty Images
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Vitaly Petrov was understandably pleased after securing the first podium of his Formula One career with third place at the Australian Grand Prix.

A strong start saw Petrov move up from sixth to fourth, and then a consistent drive saw him manage his tyres sufficiently to pit only twice, while Mark Webber needed three stops and dropped back to fifth. Petrov also showed good composure as Fernando Alonso closed in on him in the closing stages, as the R31 displayed strong pace.

With Renault looking strong during pre-season testing but slightly slower than expected at times during the race weekend, Petrov felt he had got the most out of the car and paid tribute to the performance of the team.

"To be honest I'm very happy to be here [on the podium]," Petrov said. "All weekend was pretty good for us, but really after testing we didn't know where we were. We came here with some new parts and through free practice our car looked pretty strong, and also qualifying wasn't too bad. Then we just focussed on our race and I think today the team did everything perfectly. We must be proud of our placing today."

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