“The Formula 1 is no longer a sport,” according to Petrov’s agent

Last week, the Caterham team announced that they had signed with the Dutch driver Giedo Van der Garde for the season. This finally put an end to an interminable wait and dashed the hopes of several other drivers who were vying for this spot.

Among them, Vitaly Petrov, who had managed to gather funds from Russia, is among the disappointed. His agent, Oksana Kosachenko, does not hide her dismay: « We learned this news a few days ago, and we have to respect it. I wouldn’t say it’s a surprise… in fact, right now, Formula 1 is no longer a sport; it tends to become a spectacle. I believe that we have more and more profitable drivers. It has become too expensive for the moment. »

Of course, the agent of the first Russian Formula 1 driver would have liked to take advantage of the future Russian Grand Prix in Sochi to reignite interest in their driver and regrets that this argument was not considered when Caterham made its choices: « We must do something to promote the Grand Prix in Sochi. And it’s a serious mistake they’re making, » she states, noting that the race organizers refused her sponsorship request.

That said, all is not lost for Petrov, who could turn to a test driver position this year while waiting for something better: « We have some offers for Vitaly to stay present in the paddocks. We need to decide what will be best for him. Changing categories is probably not an option. »

Kosachenko also specified that Caterham was the only possibility for Petrov to have a full-time seat this year.