Russian auto racing driver Vitaly Petrov is set to become Russia's first Formula One driver starting from next season, local media reported on Thursday.

The 25-year-old Petrov, runner-up of the 2009 GP2 series, will partner with Polish Robert Kubica to compete for French F1 team Renault.

Born on Sept. 8, 1984 in Vyborg of the Leningrad region, Petrov is known as "Vyborg Rocket" in Russia.

According to local media, Petrov would possibly bring a sponsorship of 15 million euros to Renault, as he was backed by state-owned Russian saving bank Sberbank and gas monopoly Gazprom.