Friday’s day of the 2022 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has had a second story that has changed the landscape of the weekend due to a terrorist attack a few kilometers from the Jeddah track, at a petrochemical facility.
At the end of the first free practice session, a cloud of black smoke could be seen from the circuit. This came from the explosion that occurred in the facilities of the local oil company Aramco.
The Grand Circus delayed the start of Free Practice 2 of the Saudi Arabian GP amid bewilderment over the attack later blamed by the Houthis. This prompted an emergency meeting between F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and the drivers, as well as the team managers, to bring them up to speed on what was happening.
The cloud of smoke and its effects were noticed from the track because some drivers who were shooting in the first session, such as Max Verstappen , according to the words of Helmut Marko , advisor to Red Bull, warned him by radio.
“It didn’t affect us directly. Max told us through a radio message,” explained the Austrian. “He thought his car was on fire because there was a strong burning smell, then we checked all the data and it wasn’t that, but he did notice the smell of the explosion.”
“After that, they informed us that they had sent a drone from Yemen,” Marko told Sky F1 Germany before mentioning what F1 has told them. “The Saudis have an air defense system and for some reason the drone was not intercepted and the attack came. The rebels know they will get a lot more publicity at the grand prix.”
Marko added that the pilots have taken the situation in a different way, and explained the reaction of Verstappen and Sergio Pérez , about whom he mentioned that, living in Mexico, I miss him being a little more nervous.
“Max [Verstappen] is a bit more relaxed about it. Perez is a bit scared, but living in Mexico City is not much safer,” the Red Bull adviser said. “We have the pandemic, the war in Europe and now a missile attack 20 kilometers from us. It is no longer normal or pleasant.”
However, the Mexican pilot does not live in that population, but has his residence in his home state, Jalisco.
Regarding the steps to follow in the next few hours, Helmut Marko indicated that the “correct” thing would be to continue with the weekend and trust the security systems of Saudi Arabia.
“As these drone attacks have been mentioned, I think they are frequent. They have a very good defense system. Now we have to find out why it has not worked. It is not the first drone, after all,” he said.
“But it is the first to attack on a large scale. We must not let terror completely intimidate normal life. We must look now, and if security is guaranteed for the next two days, then we must continue,” Marko said.
