Vitaly Petrov claims he has a point to prove to former Formula One team Lotus Renault after being confirmed as Caterham's new driver.
The 27-year-old Russian was the last confirmed driver for the new F1 season, which kicks off in Melbourne on March 17, at the weekend when he was drafted in to replace 37-year-old Italian Jarno Trulli after he was axed due to his failure to collect any points last season.
Petrov was left disappointed that, after two years with Renault, he was released at the end of the 2011 campaign when they were re-branded Lotus.
And, following a long wait over the winter months, Petrov is now looking ahead to continuing his career with Caterham and aims to help them achieve success alongside partner Heikki Kovalainen while firing a message to his old employers.
"The winter was quite difficult for me," he told Sky Sports. "It was a long winter - I was waiting three months before announcing what I will do in the future. Now I am much more happy.
"Of course, I will improve with a new team like Caterham," he added. "They have a big future and like you see what they did in the last two years, they are improving every year their car.
"They have KERS and in August they will move to a new factory. I like what they are doing and I like to be part of this team.
"They have a lot of new guys working and this summer they will move to a much bigger factory. This team looks really strong and they have a big ambition for the future."