A gigantic cloud of smoke could suddenly be seen from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the smell of burning oil was everywhere and films were posted on social media showing a blazing factory. The Formula 1 Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia on Sunday (7 p.m., live on ServusTV) is now wobbling after the training session was overshadowed by a drone attack on a nearby Aramco oil company refinery.
World Champion Max Verstappen also smelled “something burnt” shortly before the end of the first practice session and asked his Red Bull team via radio if it was his car. But it soon turned out that the reason was a much worse one. The refinery of the main sponsor of the racing series is only eleven kilometers as the crow flies from the street circuit. According to media reports, it is likely to be another attack by Houthi rebels from Yemen. They keep targeting Saudi Arabia from the neighboring country, most recently with a rocket a week ago. A plant belonging to the Aramco oil company in Jeddah was also hit, and fire broke out at an oil tank. “This incident has no impact on the race weekend,” the organizers said at the time. Does that still apply now?
On Friday, the team bosses were hastily summoned to a meeting. No decision had been made until the evening hours as to how the race on Sunday would continue. According to “Sky Sports”, the paddock said that there was “no panic” yet. With a 15-minute delay, the first cars rolled back onto the course on the Red Sea for the second practice session. “The government gave us the assurance that it is safe to drive here,” said Haas team boss Günther Steiner on ServusTV.
“We got into this situation completely unexpectedly. I believe that the Grand Prix was deliberately chosen by these terrorists because it would give them the greatest publicity,” said Red Bull’s motorsport consultant Helmut Marko.
Source: Nachrichten
