F1 CEO & Saudi Arabian GP Promoters Reassure the Safety of Teams & Drivers Amidst Jeddah Scare

The F1 2022 season has moved to the second race weekend on the calendar where all the teams participated in the Friday practice at Jeddah. But after the first practice session, there was a tense environment at the Jeddah circuit following an unusual incident at the nearby Aramco facility. Nevertheless, the Friday practice went ahead, but the FP2 was postponed by 15 minutes.

All F1 teams somehow managed to finish both the practice sessions without much hassle. The FIA and F1 soon met with the local authorities after the FP2 to discuss the safety of the teams and drivers.

Furthermore, the FIA even cancelled all the media interactions with the drivers post-Friday running to calm the high tension persisting in the paddock. After the meeting, the F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali, and the event promoters assured everyone’s safety and the schedule would continue according to the plan.

F1 President and Local Authorities ensure safety

Stefano Domenicali expressed to the media gathered at the paddock, “We feel safe”. Soon after, the Saudi Arabian GP promoters also officially released their statement about the safety of the event on Twitter.

The Saudi Motorsport Company stated, “We are aware of the attack on the Aramco Distribution Station in Jeddah earlier this afternoon and remain in direct contact with the Saudi Security Authorities, as well as F1 and the FIA to ensure all necessary security and safety measures continue to be implemented to guarantee the safety of all visitors to the Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as well as all drivers, teams and stakeholders.

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The race weekend schedule will continue as planned. The safety and security of all our guests continue to be our main priority and we look forward to welcoming fans for a weekend of premium racing and entertainment.”

How was the Friday Practice in Jeddah?

Despite the commotion after the FP1, the Friday Practice session went smoothly. Ferrari again dominated both the practice sessions with Charles Leclerc setting the quickest lap time. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was the second quicker. Also, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez finished 3rd and 4th in the FP2 after their unimpressive FP1.

Even the Mercedes duo picked up their pace during the second practice, finishing at P5 and P6. Valtteri Bottas had an exceptional FP1 with a P3 but dropped to P6 in the second session. Lando Norris also improved a lot during FP2 and finished 7th. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo is still adapting to McLaren. The other drivers also put on decent performances. But the Haas struggled a lot, especially Kevin Magnussen who ran into problems with his car during both the practice sessions.

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It is still hard to say what will happen in the Saudi Arabian GP; we’ve probably seen only a glimpse of what the weekend has to offer. F1 teams might have some surprises in store which they might reveal over qualifying on Saturday or over the main race. How do you think Qualifying will play out on Saturday?