JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — For two consecutive days Formula One cars lapped Jeddah’s Corniche Circuit against the backdrop of a cloud of black smoke on the city’s skyline. The smoke was a result of a missile attack on an oil depot six miles to the east of the track that occurred 20 minutes into the opening practice session on Friday afternoon.
The missile strike was among the latest salvos in a seven-year conflict between Yemeni Houthis, who took responsibility for the attack on the Aramco-owned facility, and a Saudi-led coalition. It is a conflict that has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
The inferno, which was visible from the tops of tower blocks surrounding the circuit, took more than 24 hours to bring under control and was still smouldering as the sun set ahead of F1’s qualifying session on Saturday night. In that same 24-hour period the race was nearly called off due to a planned driver boycott over safety concerns, but after a series of meetings that…
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