Vitaly Petrov celebrated his transformation from zero to hero after finishing third in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix and becoming the first Russian to stand on the podium in Formula One.
The 26-year-old was in danger of losing his drive at Renault after being heavily outscored by his team mate Robert Kubica in his debut season last year and only secured a new deal after a battling sixth place in the season-ender in Abu Dhabi.
With the team robbed of Kubica by the serious injuries the Pole sustained in a rally car crash earlier this year, Petrov carried that form into the opening race of this season by claiming his best qualifying position of sixth on Saturday.
In a sizzling start on Sunday, he roared past Briton Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso and resisted strong pressure from the Spaniard at the end of the race to deliver a famous result for his team.
