New Renault team principal Eric Boullier has no reservations about throwing Vitaly Petrov in at the deep end this weekend as the Russain makes his F1 debut in Bahrain.
The highly-rated Russian driver will become the first individual from his country to ever compete in the world championship when the season gets underway and Boullier insists he will take to the challenge like a duck to water.
Petrov was linked with Sauber and Campos F1 (now Hispania Racing) before he and the considerable Russian backing that came with him linked up with Renault. He was second in last season's GP2 championship, wining two races along the way, and Boullier now expects him to make rapid progress at the top level of motorsport, despite only limited pre-season testing.
"Vitaly has shown a level of confidence as well as calmness under pressure, which has impressed the team," Boullier told Renault's website.
"There has been so much attention on him from Russia, but he's taken everything in his stride and nothing seems to faze him. The only problem is his lack of dry running during testing, which isn't ideal for a rookie.
"However, we are doing everything we can to make sure he feels comfortable in the team as he continues learning about Formula 1. I certainly have no doubts about his ability because his results in the past have shown how quick he is."
Boullier also confirmed that Renault's sponsorship deal with Lada had been connected with Petrov's arrival at the team.