Vitaly Petrov made Formula 1 racing history in Shanghai when he finished seventh in the 2010 Chinese GP - the first Russian to score F1 points.
The young Russian's success not only silenced critics who had accused him of being too fat for the job - 10kg heavier than Renault team mate Robert Kubica - but also banished rumours that he was to be dumped for financial reasons.
Indeed the success of Petrov, 25, who was born in Vyborg but lives in Valencia in Spain, increased the likelihood that a Russian GP would soon be added to the calendar - and that Russian money would pour into the sport.
Renault team boss Eric Boullier was certainly impressed with he Vyborg Rocket, as he is known in Russia.
"Vitaly put in a great drive," he said. "At the beginning of the race the conditions were very tricky. Some parts of the track were wet, some weren't, and it's never easy for a rookie when the conditions are changing. He proved himself."
The risky conditions were no problem for Petrov.
"I look forward to wet races and street circuits because I started my career in Russia competing in rally sprints and ice racing; I'm comfortable in slippery conditions."
All of which suggested that Renault, now controlled by a Luxemburg-based investment house after the automaker's decision to sell a majority holding aafter the 2009 race-fixing scandal, has found a valuable future asset - and not only because Petrov is paying €15-million for the seat.
Yet mystery still surrounds Petrov's contract with Renault and the source of his money. There have been reports in Russia suggested his father Alexander struggled to raise a loan of €7.5-million for the first instalment on the seat fee.
Petrov appears to be hugely well-funded, even though his management found it difficult, according to his father, to find sponsors.
Petrov has said his funding is from his father's money and backing from family friends but nobody at Renault has added any detail to this explanation - and little is known about Petrov's family background or the source of his father's wealth.
"The people in Russia, they must wake up to what has happened here because we are in F1 without any sponsorship or help," Petrov was quoted saying earlier this season. "My father has given me the money to be here. It's just him, my manager and my father's friends. Nobody else."
'NOT IN IT FOR THE MONEY'
His manager Oksana Kossatschenko confirmed that Petrov was paying €15-million for his seat and stressed he was far more than just a 'pay driver' opening the door to F1 for Russia.
In an interview with an Austrian financial newspaper, WirtschaftsBlatt, she said: "Vitaly has come into F1 not because of the money but because of the strategic interests of various companies and because of his driving talent.
"He was in the right place in the right moment when Renault was expanding its partnership, and Russian production, with (automaker) Avtovaz.
"In Vitaly's career there have been tempting offers that we have turned down when we realised that the teams didn't want the driver - only his money."
Many close observers believe this may refer to a bid from Finland to offer him Finnish citizenship and the money to cover his expenses if he agreed to race under its flag.
'RENAULT CAN'T COVER BUDGET'
His family home in Vyborg is close to the border with Finland and Petrov reportedly goes home by flying to Helskinki and then driving east for three hours.
Kossatschenko added: "Formula one is a business. The team has a budget of just over €200-million but the Renault group owns only 25 percent and so cannot cover the budget.
"They want to expand into Russia and Petrov is the key. And, for F1, Russia is a white sheet of paper." - Sapa-AFP