42 replies to this topic

[Jordan44]

Wow. It's a strange world. Just as we were discussing this weekend's driver steward Petrov in another thread, RUMOURS are breaking out of Russia that his father has been killed by two unknown gunmen earlier today. Absolutely horrific.

https://twitter.com/...9344834560?s=19 (Source containing links to the Russian articles in the comments as well)

Edited by Jordan44, 24 October 2020 - 17:11.

[PayasYouRace]

Split from the Portuguese GP topic.

[SophieB]

This is absolutely horrific - has this definitely been confirmed?

[Muppetmad]

Hopefully these are just rumours; otherwise, it is awful news indeed.

[ARTGP]

horrifying news if true.

 

Also, Think thread title needs some work...

[Jordan44]

This is absolutely horrific - has this definitely been confirmed?

How reliable is Russian media? Here's a link, Google Translation confirms it's not just some Twitter prank.

https://lentv24.ru/V..._medium=desktop

https://m.47news.ru/...impression=true

Edited by Jordan44, 24 October 2020 - 17:16.

[Mat13]

Horrible if true.

[SophieB]

How reliable is Russian media? Here's a link, Google Translation confirms it's not just some Twitter prank.

https://lentv24.ru/V..._medium=desktop

https://m.47news.ru/...impression=true

 

Thanks. I note that some of those sites seem to have updated their reports to being a little more circumspect so for the time being I've edited the title to rumours of his sudden death, until more is announced.

[SophieB]

RaceFans running the story:

 

https://www.racefans...dies-in-russia/

 

and noting the assassination claims:

 

Fritz-Dieter Rencken

 

@RacingLines

·

6m

 

Update, seems it was an assassination according to Russian sources: Ex-F1 driver Vitaly Petrov's father dies in Russia

[Jordan44]

His father was quite an important figure as well it seems. Alexander Petrov, considered Vyborg's most influential businessman and even the de facto "ruler" of the city.

[wj_gibson]

Appalling if true.

[GiorgioF1]

[Phillip Horton] Due to a personal bereavement Vitaly Petrov will not continue as a steward at the PortugueseGP. Bruno Correia will take over.

 

https://www.fia.com/...uese-grand-prix

Edited by GiorgioF1, 24 October 2020 - 18:13.

[Marklar]

Welp, now he wont be a steward after all for the very wrong reasons

[FLB]

Mark Hughes and Peter Windsor are rporting it as well. I think the 'Rumours' part of the thread title can be removed, unfortunately... 

Edited by FLB, 24 October 2020 - 18:14.

[SophieB]

Mark Hughes and Peter Windsor are rporting it as well. I think the 'Rumours' part of the thread title can be removed, unfortunately... 

 

Done. Extremely sad news.

[noikeee]

That's horrible. Best wishes to Petrov and his family.

[Astandahl]

Awful news. Absolutely terrible.

[Hakki069]

Horrific news. So sad. Terrible world we live in at times

[ARTGP]

senseless violence

[ensign14]

Curious.  Petrov Sr was very well connected.  Tight with Ilya Traber.

[RaySpace]

His father was quite an important figure as well it seems. Alexander Petrov, considered Vyborg's most influential businessman and even the de facto "ruler" of the city.

That makes this sound like gangland warfare, more than anything.

Grubby business, being a 'highly influential' businessman and de-facto ruler of a city in Russia.

Not all the money around F1 is clean, hardly. But this is pretty shocking.

Edited by RaySpace, 24 October 2020 - 19:15.

[milestone 11]

Curious.  Petrov Sr was very well connected.  Tight with Ilya Traber.

Traber seemed such a nice chap.

[milestone 11]

Interesting character by the sounds of things,

 

A woman in a purple jacket, also an activist, whose surname was Alexandrova, recalled that Petrov had been in power for more than ten years.

“Where does the money go? It has been going to Petrov for ten years, but the people have been starving. We are hostages of an executioner, our administration. We have been enslaved by criminals,” Alexandrova pontificated.

A minute later, she encroached, it would have seemed, on the holy of holies. No, not Vyborg Castle, but Formula One driver Vitaly Petrov, Alexander Petrov’s son.

“No other town in Leningrad Region could afford Formula One, but we could. Who paid for little Vitaly Petrov to race in the championships? We paid,” said Alexandrova.

People applauded constrainedly, but with a timidity that could instantly turn into desperation.

 

[jjcale]

Curious.  Petrov Sr was very well connected.  Tight with Ilya Traber.

 

Wrong Petrov ..... but still  https://forums.autosport.com/topic/143678-drugs-and-weapons-found-in-alexander-petrovs-comapny/

Edited by jjcale, 24 October 2020 - 19:57.

[Sam1]

 Best wishes to Petrov and his family.

[cpbell]

Dreadful news.

[BlackCat]

Vyborg = Viipuri, once the third biggest city in Finland, sadly still occupied by Russia. Meaning - as much as I know, influential businessmen are not shot in Finland, also such businessmen do not "rule" cities.

[Anuity]

Vyborg = Viipuri, once the third biggest city in Finland, sadly still occupied by Russia. Meaning - as much as I know, influential businessmen are not shot in Finland, also such businessmen do not "rule" cities.

Vyborg was founded by the Swedes, and for most of its history was under Swedish and Russian control.

Sad news regarding Petrov, unfortunately these things can still happen.

[Exumer]

Horrible news. 

[jonpollak]

сочувствия

 

Jp

[allaboard70]

Dreadful news. Best wishes to Petrov and his family. 

[Dolph]

Vyborg was founded by the Swedes, and for most of its history was under Swedish and Russian control.

Sad news regarding Petrov, unfortunately these things can still happen.

 

It was part of Finland, inhabited by the Fins, until the Russians annexed it and all Fins had to leave their homes.

 

But I like how you put that historical spin on it to make it appear like the Russians just took back what was theirs.

[w1Y]

Or course its sad for the petrov family but not knowing enough about his father or his dealings I will reserve judgement on the situation.

[Pimpwerx]

Alexander Petrov's business portfolio seems to lend itself to his death being deemed an assassination, rather than a regular murder.

[Anuity]

It was part of Finland, inhabited by the Fins, until the Russians annexed it and all Fins had to leave their homes.

But I like how you put that historical spin on it to make it appear like the Russians just took back what was theirs.

Historical name is Vyborg. Founded and ruled for centuries by Swedish and later Russians. That’s a historical fact.
Does not matter if you like it or not. And does not matter if Finns chose to change the name during the odd 20 year period when the city was part of Finland. It’s not part of Finland anymore and will never be again, so chill out

[AlexPrime]

Sad news. I feel very sad for Petrov. I don't know anything about his father, If he was well connected it is a surprise that someone dares to go against him. These things happen in Eastern Europe, in Bulgaria we have similar businessmen. A lot of work yet to be done for our societies.

[jimjimjeroo]

Historical name is Vyborg. Founded and ruled for centuries by Swedish and later Russians. That’s a historical fact.
Does not matter if you like it or not. And does not matter if Finns chose to change the name during the odd 20 year period when the city was part of Finland. It’s not part of Finland anymore and will never be again, so chill out

Historical affiliations

 Sweden 1293–1710
 Tsardom of Russia 1710–1721
 Russian Empire 1721–1812
 Finland (part of Russia) 1812-1917
 Finland 1917–1918
 Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic 1918
 Finland 1918–1940
 Soviet Union 1940–1941
 Finland 1941–1944
 Soviet Union 1944–1991
 Russia 1991–present

Lifted from wikipedia. Guessing its Swedish and occupied by Russians

[absinthedude]

Whatever lines of business or politics Petrov Sr might have been in, this is a terrible event and a tragedy for the Petrov family.

[Dolph]

Historical name is Vyborg. Founded and ruled for centuries by Swedish and later Russians. That’s a historical fact.
Does not matter if you like it or not. And does not matter if Finns chose to change the name during the odd 20 year period when the city was part of Finland. It’s not part of Finland anymore and will never be again, so chill out

 

There is a distinction between ruling and who lives where. The Finns lived there for centuries until it was annexed by Russians. The fact that Russia used to rule there before, doesn't make it a less of an evil thing to do. Whether you choose to ignore that or not, so chill out.

[Oho]

And on the same token London is not English but rather a Roman city... I guess there was nothing Finnish until 1918.

Edited by Oho, 26 October 2020 - 10:20.

[BRG]

And on the same token London is not English but rather a Roman city... I guess there was nothing Finnish until 1918.

 

On a point of historical accuracy, there were no English or England when London was founded by the Romans.  There are some traces of a pre-Roman bridge at the site of London, so there may have been a British settlement of sorts there but there is no real archeological evidence to substantiate this.

 

On a point of historical INaccuracy, London was actually founded about 1000 BC by the Trojans under Brutus.  According to a medieval historian. 

[ensign14]

Nobody knows the derivation of London, other than it is pre-Roman, as they nicked the name from those there beforehand.  May be a Celtic root for fast-flowing.  But the derivation from Celtic is pretty speculative.  Which makes me wonder if it is named after a person, so from an unexpected language source.  

 

Calling Geoffrey an historian is being extremely kind, he is the Velikovsky of prehistory.

[Risil]

I like to think of Geoffrey of Monmouth as an collector of folkloric and oral British history that would undoubtedly otherwise have been lost. But he was no Herodotus.