Vitaly Petrov will be first Russion to compete in Race of Champions

Petrov joins other Formula 1 stars like Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button.

The Renault driver is the first Eastern European to join the event that takes place in Dusseldorf on December 3-4.

"It was a great honour to be the first Russian driver in Formula 1 - and now I'm delighted to become the first Russian to compete at the Race Of Champions," he said.

"I've followed the event for a long time and I know that all the drivers claim to be there for fun, while pushing as hard as ever in the cars. I've never raced in an event with such a quick turnaround of machinery but perhaps my unusual background in rally sprints and ice racing can help me. I'll give my best and see what happens."

ROC race organiser Fredrik Johnsson added: "We're always aiming to expand our horizons at the Race Of Champions so we're thrilled to have our first Russian driver on board. Vitaly had a great GP2 career and he has carried that over to Formula 1 in the past two years. We look forward to seeing him take on ROC's best in December."