Petrov replaced as F1 steward after father's death
Vitaly Petrov has stood down as a race steward at the Portuguese Grand Prix following the death of his father Alexander on Saturday.

According to reports emerging from Russia, Alexander Petrov was shot at his home near Vyborg in the western part of the country.
The tragedy meant that Vitaly, who was having his first appearance as a drivers' steward, was unable to continue in his role and has immediately returned home to Russia.
A statement issued by motor racing's governing body on Saturday night said: "The FIA confirms that, due to a personal bereavement, the Driver Steward for the 2020 FIA Formula 1 Portuguese Grand Prix, Vitaly Petrov, will not continue with his duties for the remainder of the weekend.
"The thoughts of the FIA are with Vitaly and his family at this time."
The FIA has announced that Bruno Correia, the safety car driver in Formula E and WTCR, will take over Petrov's role on the stewards' panel on race day in Portugal.
Formula 1 race director Michael Masi said: "Firstly, and most importantly, our thoughts with Vitaly and his family at this time. From that perspective with regards to a replacement driver steward we're fortunate in that long-term FIA safety car driver in Formula E and for the World Touring Car Cup Bruno Correia lives locally in Portimao. So he will join us tomorrow morning.
"We arranged everything with regards to COVID testing and so forth, and he will join the stewards' panel in the morning. Obviously we're very thankful to Bruno, and as I said our thoughts are with Vitaly and his family."
Petrov is a former grand prix driver who was the first Russian to compete in Formula 1. He took part in 57 grands prix between 2010 and 2012 for the Renault and Caterham teams.
His best result was when he finished third for Renault at the 2011 Australian GP, behind race winner Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.
Petrov is perhaps most famously remembered, however, for his defensive driving at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when he held off Fernando Alonso in the title-deciding season finale.
His drive that evening meant Alonso failed to score the points he needed to secure the world title, meaning Sebastian Vettel grabbed his first championship crown.
After leaving F1, Petrov raced in the DTM for Mercedes in 2014, prior to switching to sportscars. He has regularly driven for the SMP team since and last year finished third at Le Mans.
Petrov's appearance on the stewards' panel in Portugal this weekend caused some controversy, however, following recent remarks that the Russian made about F1's anti-racism stance.
However, the FIA defended its decision to select Petrov by stating that personal views were not taken into consideration when choosing who can act as an official.
Read Also:

Previous article
Ricciardo says wind a factor in costly Q2 spin at Portimao
Next article
Why a decades-old F1 tradition had to be axed

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Event | Portuguese GP |
Drivers | Vitaly Petrov |
Author | Jonathan Noble |
Petrov replaced as F1 steward after father's death
Trending
Is Red Bull Hiding the Real RB16B? | F1 2021
Sergio Perez's First Drive With Red Bull Racing
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
Why Gasly’s AlphaTauri haven is a blessing and a curse
Red Bull opted not to re-sign Pierre Gasly even before it decided to drop Alex Albon and so the Frenchman's Formula 1 journey will continue at AlphaTauri. This has positive and negative connotations for one of last season's star performers.
Eight things Red Bull must do to beat Mercedes in 2021
After seven years of defeat at the hands of Mercedes, Red Bull is as hungry as ever to secure a fifth world championship. But there are key challenges it must overcome in 2021 to switch from challenger to conqueror
How AlphaTauri has adapted to F1's new rules
AlphaTauri launched its AT02, complete with a new livery, as it bids to home in on an already-tight midfield battle. Although there were few outright new parts displayed on the launch render, there might be a few clues into further changes down the line…