Former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov is to make a swap to sportscar racing in 2016 by becoming a member of SMP Racing within the LMP2 class of the World Endurance Championship.
The Russian racer, who competed with Renault and Caterham throughout three seasons of F1 racing between 2010 and 2012, spent a lot of the 2015 season on the sidelines after a transfer to the DTM in 2014 with Mercedes didn’t yield a single high ten end.
Nonetheless, he’ll return to full-time competitors in 2016 after signing to hitch the Russian-financed SMP Racing staff, which can step as much as the WEC with its BR Engineering BR01 LMP2 entry.
The BR01 prototype, which has been developed and financed by SMP Racing and Italian outfit AF Corse, made its competitors debut this 12 months within the European Le Mans Collection and proved aggressive, with three podiums from the 5 occasions, whereas it additionally confirmed properly on the Le Mans 24 Hours.
For 2016, Petrov – who turned the primary Russian driver to attain an F1 podium in Australia in 2011 – will take the place of Mikhail Aleshin, who will focus his attentions on a full season of IndyCar Collection racing.