JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Formula One has confirmed this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will go ahead as planned despite an attack on a nearby oil facility.
An Aramco oil depot 10 kilometers east of the Jeddah street circuit was in flames Friday evening, with a large plume of black smoke visible from the track during the opening practice session of the race weekend.
Later in the day, a military spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthis, which have been battling a coalition led by Saudi Arabia for seven years, claimed responsibility for an attack with missiles on an Aramco facility in Jeddah.
The second practice session was delayed by 15 minutes while drivers and team principals met with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to discuss Friday’s attacks.
ESPN understands Domenicali offered an update on the situation and informed teams and drivers that the weekend would go ahead as planned.
