Vitaly Petrov will become Russia's first Formula One driver after being named in the Renault team on Sunday for the 2010 season.

The 25-year-old will drive alongside Poland's Robert Kubica, who helped the Russian unveil the new R30 car, which sports the team's historic yellow and black colours.

The two men succeed double world champion Fernando Alonso of Spain, who has joined Ferrari, and the Frenchman Romain Grosjean, who failed to impress last season in the under-performing R29.

Petrov finished second in last's season GP2 series with 11 podium finishes including four victories, but he was well behind champion Nico Hulkenburg of Germany, who will make his F1 debut with Williams this season.

"This is a great opportunity for me and I'm really looking forward to working with the team this season," said Petrov.

"I've always dreamed of racing in Formula One and so to make my debut with a top team like Renault is very exciting.

"The first race is just over a month away so I will make sure I spend as much time as possible with the team over the next few weeks so that I am fully prepared in time for Bahrain (the season-opener on March 14)."

Renault F1 team principal, Eric Boullier, said that Petrov would face a steady learning curve.

"As a rookie, we recognise that Vitaly will have a lot to learn this season, but his performances in GP2 last year were outstanding and confirmed that he is ready to make the step up to Formula One," said Boullier.

"With Robert alongside him, Vitaly has the perfect role model to learn from and I'm confident he will deliver on the promise he has shown throughout his career."