Petrov and Kubica closer in 2011 than in 2010?

Let’s be honest, Vitaly was not the fastest driver last year. Robert outqualified him in almost every qualifying session, but at the end of the year, he had a good race in Abu Dhabi, confides Alan Permane, chief engineer of Lotus Renault GP, to Motor.ru

The numbers are indeed telling. In 2010, Robert Kubica only missed Q3 once, in Abu Dhabi – 11th –, and was outqualified by the Russian on just two occasions: in Hungary and Abu Dhabi. Petrov only qualified for Q3 five times and most often failed in Q2 – 12 times –, even experiencing the agony of being knocked out in Q1 on two occasions. In the end, the Pole had an average qualifying position of 7 compared to his teammate’s 13.5.

In races, when the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix winner saw the checkered flag, it was always ahead of his teammate. The Pole had an average finishing position of 5.9 compared to 11.4 for the Russian. In the drivers’ championship, Robert Kubica finished in 8th place with 136 points, five times more than his teammate, who ended up 13th in the final standings, with 27 points.

However, beyond the statistics, it is important to recall that Vitaly Petrov was only in his first year, in a team undergoing a sporting recovery and internal restructuring where it is therefore legitimate to think that development efforts were primarily focused on Robert Kubica’s car, who was the undeniable leader of the French team. Moreover, while he made mistakes typical of any beginner, the native of Vyborg also had some moments of grace, whether in Malaysia, against Lewis Hamilton’s attacks, or, even more certainly, in Abu Dhabi, by keeping ahead of Fernando Alonso, who was then a title contender.

Since the beginning of the season, Vitaly Petrov has justified his team’s decision to renew their confidence in him by securing a podium finish in the inaugural race in Melbourne and gradually asserting himself against his new teammate, the experienced Nick Heidfeld. “We arrived in Melbourne, and in front of us was a different Vitaly. He was very, very focused! He didn’t make a single mistake the entire weekend! Then he secured a podium finish. He had matured,” confides Alan Permane.

There will always be a doubt, however, mainly due to Kubica’s absence following his accident. Last year, Robert was much stronger, Vitaly didn’t have the slightest chance. I believe Robert would have been even faster this year, but I think the gap would have been smaller [between the two].

Unfortunately for the Russian, even if the Pole comes back in 2012, doubt would still persist, given that if Petrov comes close to or outperforms Kubica, the latter’s potential physical and psychological scars will often be cited as explanatory factors.