Shortly after the start of the first free practice session on Friday at noon, a huge plume of black smoke was seen rising into the sky following an explosion at an oil facility near Jeddah’s international airport.
The Aramco oil refinery is less than 10 miles from the Jeddah Corniche F1 circuit, about 16 kilometers.
Although the initial cause of the explosion was unclear, Saudi authorities soon informed F1 that the incident had been caused by a Houthi missile attack.
That organization claimed responsibility for the attack and others against Saudi Arabia, and said the attacks would continue until the organization had achieved its goals for Yemen. It must be clarified, without going into much political and military detail, that this is a conflict that comes from behind, and that for years the unjustified attacks have been in the opposite direction.
Having tightened security on the track after a series of Houthi attacks last week in different parts of the country (including Jeddah), the latest incident has left some wondering whether the Saudi GP should go ahead or not.
But in an emergency meeting between F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali and drivers and teams ahead of a second free practice session that started 15 minutes later than planned, Motorsport.com has learned that F1 has so far does not plan to cancel the event.
It has been leaked that Domenicali told those present that the grand prix would go ahead as scheduled and that the Saudi authorities had made it clear that security was their priority.
Speaking after the meeting, Haas team boss Gunther Steiner told ServusTV : “We’ve been assured by those in charge that it’s safe to drive here. After FP2 we’ll have another meeting.”
“Personally, I feel totally safe. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
Domenicali promised to keep F1 competitors informed of any developments, and another meeting of the team bosses will take place this Friday night.
The attack in Jeddah on Friday comes less than a week after the Houthis attacked several Saudi Arabian targets.
The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen issued a statement confirming that it is responsible for a missile that last Saturday caused a fire at an Aramco distribution center in Jeddah.
It also launched a barrage of missile and drone strikes against various targets in the country.
