A missile attack on an oil facility less than 20km from the Jeddah circuit on Friday prompted a series of emergency paddock meetings to discuss what to do for the rest of the weekend.
But after F1 bosses, teams and drivers met with local authorities to get a detailed analysis of what was going on and what safety measures would be put in place, it was agreed the event could go ahead.
Saudi Arabia’s sports minister, Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal , is clear that the decisions taken to continue with the event were based on detailed information from the security services, and he assured that it was not a situation in which “Race organizers will blindly ignore the risks.”
Speaking to Motorsport.com and other outlets, Al-Faisal said Jeddah’s watchdogs said there was no risk to the circuit.
“All security agencies were on high alert for any of the threats,” he said.
“Everyone is under 24-hour surveillance and we have very high levels of security to host an event of this type.”
“That happened on the outskirts of the city. There were no victims,” he said.
“So if there is a threat [to the event], you can be sure that we will cancel the race. But there is no threat and that is what we discussed with everyone.”
Along these lines, Al-Faisal explained that the anti-missile defense system that protects the runway does not cover that area of the city.
“You can’t cover the whole kingdom,” he said. “The security forces cover the areas where there is population condensation, where you really have to cover.”
“That place wasn’t covered because it’s not a threat to anyone. From the feedback we got, we were lucky it was there, but even they were surprised it was that area.”
“The city itself, the hotels, etc., is in total security with all the necessary steps to make sure that nothing happens.”
While the attack has overshadowed the Saudi Arabian GP weekend, Al-Faisal says that giving in to terrorists is not an option for any country to consider.
“People don’t want these things to happen,” he said. “We just want to get on with our lives. We want to thrive and we want a good quality of life for our people and we’re doing that with an eye toward 2030 and that’s our goal, to have a real sustainable future for our children and our future and grow “.
“But we can’t do it alone. We have to get the international community to condemn these attacks and put an end to this anywhere in the world. You can see what is happening in Europe now and who would have imagined that it would happen in Europe?”
“I don’t want to go into details, but it could happen anywhere in the world. But if we don’t all take a stand against the destruction in the world, then nothing will prosper.”
“I know there are a lot of images, and that’s not a good thing.”
“If we’re talking about surrendering to their actions, then they’ve won and this will never stop anywhere. And this will give them a trigger to try anywhere else. So I think this is the strong message that we should have here: this is not It’s a Saudi problem, it’s a problem for the international community.”
However, Al-Faisal was clear that lessons can be learned, but believes that security at the Jeddah circuit is as good as it needs to be.
“We trust the system we have,” he said. “But of course, you live and learn.”
“With everything we do, we are a developing nation and we are thriving into the future and we want to excel in offering the best to anyone who comes to Saudi Arabia.”
