Formula One's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will go ahead after teams received safety assurances and drivers met for more than four hours following attacks on an oil facility near the Jeddah street circuit on Friday.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said they launched attacks on Saudi energy facilities and the Saudi-led coalition said state-owned oil giant Aramco’s petroleum products distribution station was hit, causing a fire in two tanks but no casualties."We have received total assurance that the country’s safety is first," Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali told reporters after a meeting with drivers, teams and local authorities.
The president of the sport's governing FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, speaking alongside Domenicali, said the attacks had targeted economic infrastructure and not civilians. The first indication of the attack came when a huge plume of black smoke rose over Jeddah to the east of the track as cars went around the street circuit during Friday's first practice, which went ahead as planned.But the start of the second session of F1 practice was delayed by 15 minutes as teams and drivers were called in to meet with Domenicali.Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said teams had unanimously agreed that the race should go ahead.
The group had fired missiles and drones at Saudi energy and water desalination facilities last Sunday, the energy ministry and state media said.
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