FIA

Petrov steps down as FIA steward after shooting death of his father

Ian Parkes Saturday 24 October 2020 20:31

Petrov steps down as FIA steward after shooting death of his father

Vitaly Petrov has been forced to step down as a steward for this weekend's Portuguese Grand Prix following the death of his father.

Reports from Russia, via the respected RIA network, claim Alexander Petrov, who served as deputy leader of Vyborg City Council and was a renowned businessman, was shot at his home in the Leningrad region.

Former F1 driver Vitaly was for the first time this week serving as part of the four-man panel overseeing the Portuguese GP on its maiden visit to the Algarve International Circuit at Portimão.

Petrov's appointment had caused controversy due to previously contentious remarks he had made towards Lewis Hamilton and his support of the 'Black Lives Matter' campaign.

The 36-year-old had also queried the FIA's pre-race anti-racism protest, and whether it would do likewise in support of the gay movement should a driver opt to support it.

The FIA, however, declared its full support of Petrov in serving as a steward, with his position for the race now taken up by Formula E safety car driver Bruno Correia.

Via a statement, the FIA said: “The thoughts of the FIA are with Vitaly and his family at this time."

Latest News

Latest F1 News

Ferrari F1 boss speaks out on Lewis Hamilton frustration

27 minutes ago

F1 Today

F1 News Today: Hamilton reflects on 'difficult moment' as fan favourite confirms Saudi GP absence

42 minutes ago

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen F1 future CONFIRMED as 2026 details outlined

1 hour ago

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton left 'praying' after Ferrari nightmare

2 hours ago

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

F1 Race Today: Saudi Grand Prix 2025 start time, TV channel and live stream

3 hours ago

Saudi Grand Prix

F1 2025 Saudi Grand Prix starting grid with penalties applied

Today 08:57

More news

F1 Race Calendar 2025

GP AUSTRALIA 14 - 14 Mar

GP BAHRAIN 11 - 11 Apr

Oscar Piastri

GP SAUDI ARABIA 18 - 18 Apr

GP USA 2 - 2 May

GP ITALY 16 - 16 May

GP MONACO 23 - 23 May

GP SPAIN 30 - 30 May

GP CANADA 13 - 13 Jun

Complete kalender 2025

F1 News 24/7

Races

About GPFans

GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.

We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.

Follow us on your favorite social media channel

Corporate & Media

Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860

CHOOSE YOUR COUNTRY

Petrov steps down as FIA steward after shooting death of his father

Petrov steps down as FIA steward after shooting death of his father