Russia has produced some talented drivers in the world of motorsports, with four of them having competed in the pinnacle of racing – Formula One.
These drivers have showcased their skills on the global stage, with varying degrees of success. In this article, we will take a closer look at each of these drivers and their journey in the world of F1.
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The 4 drivers from Russia
The four Russian drivers who have competed in Formula One are Nikita Mazepin, Daniil Kvyat, Sergey Sirotkin, and Vitaly Petrov.
Each of these drivers has their own unique story, and we will explore their careers in detail in the following sections.
4 – Nikita Mazepin
Nikita Mazepin is the most recent Russian driver to compete in Formula One, having made his debut in the 2021 season with Haas F1 Team. Born on 2nd March 1999, Mazepin started his international karting career in 2011 and quickly moved up the ranks.
He finished fourth in the KFJ-category of the WSK Super Master Series in 2013 and came 2nd in the Karting World Championship to Lando Norris in 2014, his final year of karting.
Mazepin made his car racing debut in the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 at the end of 2014, driving in the first round of the series and grabbing his first podium in just his second race.
He then made the switch to compete in the Toyota Racing Series with ETEC Motorsport, where he finished 18th in the drivers’ standings. He followed that up by racing for Josef Kaufmann Racing in the Formula Renault Northern European Cup alongside Louis Delétraz, Kevin Jörg, and fellow rookie Dries Vanthoor. Mazepin scored one podium with a third-place finish at the Red Bull Ring and ended up twelfth in the championship.
In 2016, Mazepin competed in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship for Hitech Grand Prix. He scored four points-scoring finishes and finished 20th in the championship.
Despite the controversies of 2016, Mazepin was retained for another season, and he improved significantly, scoring 108 points and finishing on the podium on three occasions. He finished in tenth, one place behind teammate Ralf Aron.
3 – Sergey Sirotkin
Sergey Sirotkin is another Russian driver who has competed in Formula One. Born on 27th August 1995, Sirotkin started his karting career in 2008 and won the Russian Karting Championship in 2010.
He made his single-seater debut in the Formula Abarth series in 2011 and finished third in the championship. In 2012, he moved up to the Auto GP World Series and finished second in the championship. He also competed in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series and finished third in the championship.
Sirotkin made his Formula One debut with the Sauber F1 Team in 2018, partnering Marcus Ericsson. He scored one point in the season, finishing tenth in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. However, he was not retained by the team for the 2019 season and was replaced by Antonio Giovinazzi.
2 – Vitaly Petrov
Vitaly Petrov is the first Russian driver to compete in Formula One. Born on 8th September 1984, Petrov started his karting career in 1998 and won the Russian Karting Championship in 2001. He made his single-seater debut in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup in 2003 and finished eighth in the championship.
In 2006, he moved up to the GP2 Series and finished second in the championship. He also competed in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series and won the championship in 2009.
Petrov made his Formula One debut with the Renault F1 Team in 2010, partnering Robert Kubica. He scored 27 points in the season, finishing 13th in the championship.
He gained notoriety for blocking Fernando Alonso in Abu Dhabi and costing Alonso a chance at the title win. His 2011 season with the newly re-branded Lotus-Renault team began strongly with 3rd place at the season-opener in Australia, but the car failed to maintain consistent competitiveness, and he ended the season 10th in the standings.
For 2012, he was dropped by Lotus and picked up by Caterham. With an inferior car, he failed to score a point all season but did finish a strong 11th in his final race in Brazil. He was not retained for the 2013 season.
1 – Daniil Kvyat
Daniil Kvyat is the most successful Russian driver in Formula One, with three podium finishes to his name. Born on 26th April 1994, Kvyat started his karting career in 2005 and won the Russian Karting Championship in 2010. He made his single-seater debut in the Formula BMW series in 2010 and finished second in the championship.
In 2011, he moved up to the Toyota Racing Series and finished sixth in the championship. He also competed in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and won the championship in 2012.
Kvyat made his Formula One debut with Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2014, partnering Jean-Éric Vergne. He finished his first race in 9th place, an equal best result for the season matched in Britain and Belgium. He finished 15th in the championship.
He was hired by Red Bull Racing for the 2015 season, finishing 7th in the championship with a career-best 2nd in Hungary. Despite finishing 3rd in China the following year, after his home race, he was demoted back to Toro Rosso and was subsequently replaced by Max Verstappen. After having scored only 5 points in the 2017 season by the 2017 United States Grand Prix, he was dropped from Toro Rosso and replaced with Pierre Gasly.
He raced again for Toro Rosso in the 2019 season and scored a podium for Toro Rosso at the 2019 German Grand Prix held at the Hockenheimring after a strong strategy in changing conditions and a move on Lance Stroll in the closing stages to secure 3rd place, scoring the third podium of his career. He was retained by Toro Rosso as the team changed its name to AlphaTauri for 2020.
