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Petrov vows to rule out errors

Vitaly Petrov has a five-place grid penalty for Korea © Sutton Images

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• Drivers:
• Vitaly Petrov

• Teams:
• Renault

Vitaly Petrov is determined not to make any mistakes at this weekend's Korean Grand Prix as he tries to hold onto his drive at Renault next year.

Petrov clipped Nico Hulkenberg at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix and brought an end to both his and the Williams driver's race. He was slapped with a five-place grid penalty for Korea as a result, but is still confident he can finish in the top ten as long as he avoids making errors

"I always try to be in the top ten and that must be the target this weekend," he said. "I think we had the potential to do this in Suzuka, but I need to make sure I don't make any mistakes. Scoring points is important and that will be my aim in Korea."

He said coming to a completely new circuit was an advantage as a rookie as he will be starting from the same experience level as everyone else.

"The best thing is to walk the track and see it for yourself," Petrov said. "Then, I like to do some laps on my bike to understand as much as I can. You have to look at things like the kerbs and the run-off areas. All this is helpful, but you obviously learn the most during the first free practice session. It's important that you know the lap by the end of this first session. All I have done is some simulator work to help me learn the track. Because it's a new circuit, I think this makes life a little bit easier for me because everybody will be in the same situation and will have to learn the track."

News that a Russian Grand Prix will be on the calendar in 2014 has boosted Petrov's chances of staying in F1 next year and he said he was hoping to be on the grid for the inaugural race.

"I'm very proud that my country has made this decision, which will make F1 even more popular in Russia," he said. "Almost all the drivers already have a home race so I hope that I can experience the same special feeling of racing at home in a few years' time."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.