Shortly after the start of Friday afternoon’s opening free practice session, a plume of black smoke was seen pouring in to the sky following an explosion at an oil facility near Jeddah’s international airport.
The Aramco refinery is less than 10 miles from the Corniche circuit.
Although the initial cause of the explosion was unclear, F1 was soon informed by Saudi authorities that the incident had been caused by a missile attack from the Houthis.
The organisation claimed responsibility for the strike and others launched on Saudi Arabia, and said that further attacks would continue until the organisation had achieved its aims for Yemen.
Amid an already heightened security presence at the track following a number of Houhti attacks last week which included a site in Jeddah, the latest incident prompted some to question whether or not the Saudi Arabian GP should continue.
But in an emergency meeting between F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and the drivers and teams ahead of a delayed…
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