Vyborg Rocket's career looks ready for lift‑off after beating Renault team-mate Robert Kubica in Hungary qualifying

Of the 24 drivers who will line up on the grid for this afternoon's Hungarian grand prix, the vast majority will have started their careers in the helter‑skelter world of go-karting. Only one has cut his teeth competing in rallycross races on ice.

"We'd race five or 10 cars over 10 or 15 laps on the ice," says Vitaly Petrov, Russia's first Formula One driver. "I was quick all the time, but I think the championship was not so strong. I was the youngest and most of the other drivers were 35 to 40 years old, I was always quicker than them. Some of them are still racing on the ice."

Petrov has made a big impression this season for Renault, none more so than at Hungaroring yesterday when, for the first time, he was faster than his team-mate Robert Kubica in qualifying. Petrov will start seventh on the grid, with Kubica eighth.