F1 organizers insist Saudi Grand Prix will go ahead despite Houthi attack on nearby oil facility

The Czech against the machine 0:49 (CNN) — Race organizers have confirmed that F1’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will take place this weekend despite an attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a facility oil storage facility near the runway on Friday. A joint statement from Formula 1 and the sport’s governing body, the FIA, said “after discussions with all teams and drivers” the race at the Jeddah circuit would go ahead. The Saudi Grand Prix is ​​the second race of the new season and comes on the seventh anniversary of the start of the civil war in Yemen. “Following the widely reported incident that took place in Jeddah on Friday, there was extensive discussion between all concerned parties, Saudi government authorities and security agencies who gave full and detailed assurances that the event is safe,” it read. in the statement. “It has been agreed with all stakeholders to maintain a clear and open dialogue throughout the event and into the future.” Friday’s explosion at the facility of Aramco, an F1 sponsor, occurred about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the track and smoke could be seen over the city during Friday practice. The second practice session was delayed 15 minutes when the teams and drivers were called to meet with the organizers. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff told reporters that the teams had been “assured that we are protected” and that the track was “probably the safest place you can be in Saudi Arabia” at the moment. Drivers will take to the track to qualify this Saturday ahead of Sunday’s race. No casualties in attack Smoke rises from an oil storage facility in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on March 25, 2022. The Houthis said they used a “huge number” of drones to attack the facility. in Friday’s attack. The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said a ballistic missile and 10 bomb-laden drones launched from the southern border by the Iranian-backed rebels were intercepted, according to the Saudi state-run al-Ekhbariya TV channel. The statement did not mention an attack on Jeddah. There have been no casualties so far in the attack, an official told CNN. Saudi state media later reported that the Saudi-led Arab coalition launched airstrikes against what it said were “threat sources in Sanaa and Hodeidah” ​​in Yemen, following Friday’s attack. The port city of Hodeidah is used to provide food and humanitarian aid to Yemenis. The fuel usually enters the country’s north through the port, which is controlled by Houthi rebels, but the Yemeni government, backed by Saudi warships, must allow the vessels to dock. Saudi Arabia has justified the blockade of the port by accusing the Houthis of diverting taxes from the fuel that reaches Hodeidah to finance their war effort, an accusation also by the United States and the UN. CNN’s Irene Nasser in Hong Kong, Talia Kayali and Hira Humayun in Atlanta, Nic Robertson, Eyad Kourdi and Mostafa Salem contributed to this report.