Russian Formula One driver Vitaly Petrov has replaced Jarno Trulli at Caterham, the team said in a statement Friday.
Petrov, Russia's first F1 driver, was dropped by Lotus Renault at the end of last season, along with his teammate Bruno Senna, in favor of 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen and young French driver Romain Grosjean.
The Russian was at the Anglo-Malaysian team’s factory in Hingham on Friday for a seat fitting ahead of his first run with the team at the second pre-season test in Barcelona next week, Caterham said.
“I have been training hard all winter and am ready to get back into the cockpit and go to work," the team quoted Petrov as saying. "From what I have seen already, our new car is another good step forward from 2011 and now I cannot wait to see how it feels when we get to Barcelona. I would also like to take this chance to thank all my fans and partners for their support and their patience.”
“We are all delighted to welcome Vitaly into our team and are very excited about the role he will play in helping us take the next steps forward in 2012 and for many years to come," the statement quoted team principal Tony Fernandes as saying.
"When we first met it was immediately clear that Vitaly understands and shares our vision for how we want our team to grow. As the first Russian to race in F1 he carries the hopes of a huge nation with ease and his talents, experience with one of our current competitors and insights on and off track will play a huge role in our development as we fight to join the established teams ahead."
Petrov was tenth in the 2011 championship. He came third in the 2011 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, his only podium finish to date.
Trulli, 37, joined F1 with Minardi in 1997, and recorded one win at Monaco in 2004 for Renault. He would have been the oldest driver on the 2012 grid behind 43-year-old German Michael Schumacher.
Petrov's old boss at Lotus Renault, Gerard Lopez, said earlier this week that being dropped would be a useful "electric shock" to rebuild his F1 career.
