Saudi Arabian GP: huge fire after an attack claimed by Yemeni Houthi rebels

In an inky blue sky, a black mass suddenly appeared. A huge cloud visible from the circuit, at the height of the last corner. And a few minutes before the end of free practice 1, Max Verstappen was worried about the smell of burning he could smell from his car. “Don’t worry,” replied his engineer Giancarlo Lambiase. It’s not your car. The column of smoke is immense and the first images of the fire at the Aramco storage site located less than ten kilometers from the Jeddah runway are impressive. Last week, the Saudi oil company, also a major sponsor of Formula 1 and the Aston Martin team, had already been the target, like other energy production facilities, of an attack by missiles and drones from the part of the Yemeni Houthi rebels, at war with Saudi Arabia. According to the American agency AP, the site in flames this Friday had already been targeted. According to AFP, the Yemeni Houthi rebels claimed responsibility in a statement on Friday for a series of attacks in Saudi Arabia, including the one in Jeddah. According to “Arab News”, no casualties are to be deplored and the fire is under control. On Wednesday evening, Jeddah’s airspace had been closed for more than an hour for no known reason. The F1s returned to the track for the second free practice session at 8:15 p.m. (6:15 p.m. in France), 15 minutes behind schedule. A meeting is underway between F1 officials, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and team bosses to assess the situation and decide on the rest of the weekend. The fire seen from the circuit where the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia takes place. (F. Ferret/The Team)