F1 News

Saudi Arabia Grand Prix goes ahead despite rocket attack

25 March 2022 at 18:22
1
  • GPblog.com

The Saudi Motorsport Company said in a statement that the Formula One weekend will go ahead as planned, despite the earlier missile strike near the circuit.

Plumes of smoke were clearly visible during the first free practice session. Later it turned out to be a missile attack on an oil depot of Formula 1 sponsor Aramco. The explosion followed a turbulent week in Jeddah, in which several rocket attacks took place.

F1 weekend Saudi Arabia continues as planned

Between practice sessions, team bosses were called together for an emergency meeting, which delayed FP2 by 15 minutes. The outcome of that meeting was that the race weekend will go ahead as planned.

In a statement, the Saudi Motorsport Company says it is "aware of the attack" and is in constant contact with the Saudi security authorities, F1 and the FIA to ensure the safety of all visitors, drivers, teams and stakeholders.

"The race weekend schedule will continue as planned," the statement continued. "The safety and security of all our guests remains our top priority and we look forward to welcoming fans for a weekend of first-class racing and entertainment."

The F1 teams will reconvene at 7 p.m. U.K. time.