Different international media reported that the Houthis, a Yemeni insurgent group, attacked the headquarters of the Saudi oil company Aramco, a partner of Formula 1 (and Aston Martin ), during the first free practice session of the weekend, held this Friday. in the morning.
After the news emerged on Monday that a rocket aimed at that area of Jeddah, home of the Saudi Arabian GP, had to be neutralized, images of a huge curtain of black smoke and flames appeared during FP1 in one of the distribution plants from Aramco , near the international airport.
The Jeddah circuit where Formula 1 and its support categories compete this weekend is about 16 kilometers from the airport and the smell of burning oil hung in the air during FP1 led by Charles Leclerc.
At the request of Motorsport.com, F1 initially did not comment on the events, since they were also awaiting the official position of the Saudi authorities on the cause of the explosion near the track where the world championship is held. , but allowed the dispute of the classification of Formula 2 and that of Formula 3 without changes.
It was eventually confirmed that it was a terrorist attack by the Iranian-allied group, with F1 delaying the start of its FP2 by 15 minutes while it briefed teams and drivers on the situation.
It is not the first time that a war conflict affects a motor competition. Last year, during the Formula E ePrix in Riyadh , missiles launched with the aim of attacking the Saudi capital were neutralized.
The Saudi Arabian GP is the center of world attention this weekend, and after it was confirmed that it was an attack, the rest of the sessions will be in danger.
After the attacks last week in Saudi Arabia by the Houthis, the security of the Jeddah circuit was reinforced for this appointment.
The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen issued a statement claiming responsibility for a missile that last Saturday caused a fire at an Aramco distribution center in Jeddah. They also launched missile and drone strikes against various targets in the country.
It must be clarified, without going into much political and military detail, that this is a conflict that comes from the past, and that for years the unjustified attacks have been in the opposite direction.
