Bernie Ecclestone is keen to keep Vitaly Petrov in Formula One this year, according to the Russian's manager.
After spending his first two seasons in the sport with Renault, Petrov finds himself without a seat for the 2012 campaign after the team opted for a Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean pairing.
The 27-year-old, though, has been linked with Caterham and HRT, while he has also been mooted as a possible test driver for tyre supplier Pirelli.
Although his manager Oksana Kosachenko has denied that a deal had been struck with Caterham, she says Petrov has received support from F1 boss Ecclestone.
"As soon as it became clear that we could stay with Lotus Renault, I spoke with Bernie," Kosachenko told RIA Novosti.
"He expressed his support and tried to talk with the teams.
"The teams are, however, completely independent from Bernie Ecclestone, so he can't influence their decisions in any way, unfortunately."
