Father of F1 steward and former driver Petrov murdered

Vitaly Petrov's father, Alexander Petrov has been killed. Vitaly was an F1 steward for this weekend's Portuguese Grand Prix but has since stood down following the terrible news.

Formula 1 has been asking the FIA to invite more former drivers to act as stewards for some time now. They know best what is going on in the minds of today's drivers. That is why former driver Vitaly Petrov would act as a steward for the first time this weekend.

The reason is that his father died, the businessman Alexander Petrov. According to Russian media, this is not a natural death, because Petrov's father was reportedly shot in the city of Vyborg. Alexander Petrov was a familiar face in motorsports and he put a lot of time and effort into his son's career.

Replacement for Petrov

The FIA has confirmed on its website that Vitaly Petrov is withdrawing as a steward for the rest of the weekend. The organisation also says that the thoughts are currently with Vitaly and his family. Bruno Correia, the Safety Car driver for Formula E and WTCR will take over Vitaliy's position for tomorrow's Grand Prix.

All of our thoughts at GPblog are with Vitaly Petrov and his family.