Russia's first Formula One racer Vitaly Petrov has expressed the hope that he would bring Russia closer to hosting an F1 grand prix, according to Autosport.com.
Petrov signed on Sunday a yearlong contract with an option for an extra two years with Renault. The deal has made Petrov, 25, the first Russian F1 racer.
"When I was driving in GP2 I always tried to get the TV and newspapers to say 'come on, we're Russia, we're a big country, we must have a Formula 1 grand prix.' So now that I'm here, maybe they'll wake up and try to do something," he said in an interview with Autosport on Sunday.
"There's no motorsport in Russia; it's zero, nobody knows about Formula 1. There were no sponsors, nobody was helping from Russia and my father was always financing me," Petrov said.
He urged Russian businesses to invest in him.
"They must wake up because we came here without any sponsors, without any help to be in Formula 1 - with just my father, my manager and my father's friends," Petrov said.
Asked if he was "mentally prepared" for the pressure of being Russia's first F1 racer, Petrov said he had prepared "little by little."
"I've already done some Formula 1 training programs so I know what to expect," the racer said. "It's special to be in Formula 1."
"Now there's a big explosion in Russia with all the TV and newspapers," Petrov said. "They'll be calling me but I'll try to switch off the phone and concentrate on working with the team because Formula 1 is something new for me, but I hope it will be good."
MOSCOW, February 1 (RIA Novosti)
