Vitaly Petrov became the first Russian driver ever to compete in Formula One when he joined Renault in early 2010. He would spend three seasons at the top echelon, securing a career-best result of third at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.

Although only Daniil Kvyat has succeeded Petrov in F1 since then, there's no denying Russia's increasing involvement in motorsports over the past few years, as highlighted by this weekend's trip to Sochi.

Julien Billiotte

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