Former F1 World Champion Damon Hill feels that going ahead with the Saudi Arabian GP is like ‘playing with fire.’
Midway into FP1 on Friday, thick black clouds of smoke could be seen from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The people on track were not sure what happened in the moment, and there was an air of confusion and worry within the paddock.
The smoke could also be smelled from the track, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen thinking it was his car that was on fire. The smell was actually coming from an Aramco Petroleum facility, 12 miles away from the circuit.
How incongruous is this? Nothing to be alarmed about. Race on. Will be interesting to see how this is dealt with. F1 literally playing with fire #f1
— Damon Hill (@HillF1) March 25, 2022
Just before FP2, sources confirmed that the fire was due to drone strikes made by the Houthi group. This endangered the continuity of the rest of the race weekend, with many within the F1 community calling for the race to be cancelled.
After a four-hour long meeting between the FIA, F1, drivers and team principals, they decided that the race will go ahead as planned. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali didn’t make a complete statement as of yet, but assured fans that ‘they feel safe.’
Going ahead with the Saudi Arabian GP is a wrong decision
The fact that F1 are going ahead with a Grand Prix weekend, in spite of missiles being targeted in facilities right near the track, does not sit right with many.
One of the people to speak out was 1996 World Champion Damon Hill. Hill like many, slammed the organizers for failing to take a stand.
The former Williams driver took to his Twitter account to have his say on the matter. “How incongruous is this?”, he wrote on Twitter.
Cannot remember the last time drivers have taken a stand like this. They may not have said anything publicly but it is clear from this meeting, and all the ins and outs from the bosses, that they are not comfortable racing this weekend #F1 https://t.co/R8U6myksHz
— Bec Clancy (@becclancy) March 25, 2022
“Nothing to be alarmed about. Race on. Will be interesting to see how this is dealt with. F1 is literally playing with fire,” Hill added.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff admitted that the decision was collectively made. In the meeting last night, all the team principals, ‘unanimously voted’ in favor of the outcome.
FIA president Mohammed bin Sulayem insisted that they have been reassured by the Saudi government that similar incidents won’t be taking place. “Let’s go racing,” the Emirati added.
Also read: Toto Wolff says F1 teams have been given the freedom not to compete in Saudi Arabia
