Russian F1 ace Vitaly Petrov says his 16th place at the Korean Grand Prix on Sunday was the best result he could have expected.
The Caterham driver had a quiet and steady race after qualifying in 19th, taking advantage of retirements ahead of him to climb three places by the finish.
"For me that was a good afternoon, probably the best result I could have had today," Petrov was quoted as saying by his website. "The car was working well throughout the race and I had a good battle with Heikki [Kovalainen] right from the flag."
The Finn finished one place behind Petrov in 17th.
"Today was really all about managing the gap to the Marussias," he said, referring to Caterham's top competitor at the back of the field.
Marussia drivers Timo Glock and Charles Pic finished behind the Caterhams in 19th and 20th, respectively.
Petrov’s best finish of the season came with 13th in Valencia in June when numerous crashes played their part in lifting his normally uncompetitive Caterham up the time charts.
He is the first Russian driver in F1, with a best result of third in the Australian Grand Prix in 2010.
Petrov is currently seeking sponsors in Russia to retain his place in the sport next year.
