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Following lengthy meetings on Friday between the teams and drivers, the FIA and F1 have released a joint statement stating that they will continue to race in Saudi Arabia. The development comes following attacks by Yemeni rebel groups on the Aramco oil facility near the Jeddah Corniche circuit. Subsequently, the Grand Prix Drivers Association released a statement stating it will be racing at the Saudi Arabian GP this weekend.
Announcing the continuance of the GP weekend as per schedule, the statement said:
“Formula 1 and the FIA can confirm that following discussions with all the teams and drivers, the 2022 FIA Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will continue as scheduled. Following the widely reported incident that took place in Jeddah on Friday, there has been extensive discussion between all stakeholders, the Saudi government authorities and security agencies who have given full and detailed assurances that the event is secure. It has been agreed with all stakeholders to maintain a clear and open dialogue throughout the event and for the future.”
Since the attacks on the fuel facility near the circuit, there have been several discussions between the teams, drivers, race promoters, and Saudi government authorities. Although FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali addressed the media in the paddock on Friday evening after free practice, the drivers had their own discussions for four hours after the second free practice.
F1 drivers release a statement via GPDA after lengthy discussions on Friday night in Saudi Arabia
Following the second free practice, the drivers had meetings with team bosses and F1 management, including Stefano Domenicali and Ross Brawn, citing safety concerns at the race weekend in Saudi Arabia. The meeting, which started post-free practice, ended at 3:00 am after the drivers were assured by various senior management that there were safety measures in place.
Collectively addressing the matter, the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) statement said:
“Yesterday was a difficult day for Formula One and a stressful day for us Formula One drivers. Perhaps it is hard to comprehend if you have never driven an F1 car on this fast and challenging Jeddah track, but on seeing the smoke from the incident it was difficult to remain a fully focused race driver and erase natural human concerns. Consequently, we went into long discussions between ourselves, with our team principals, and with the most senior people who run our sport.”
It has also been reported that some of the Sky Sports Germany broadcast team have left the country, including TV pundit Ralf Schumacher, who had a strong reaction to the events unfolding off-track in Jeddah. The German driver earlier posted a picture on his social media of him boarding a flight back to Munich.
