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Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali called an emergency meeting at the Jeddah Corniche Street Circuit against the backdrop of an attack on a nearby oil facility.
Drivers and team principals were called to a meeting with Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in the moments prior to Free Practice 2 on Friday evening and saw the session start delayed by 15 minutes.
An Aramco oil facility near the King Abdulaziz International Airport, only some 20 kilometres from the Jeddah circuit, was attacked with fire breaking out.
It triggered the unusual decision to call an emergency meeting in the Formula 1 paddock after an explosion was reported at the oil facility.
A spokesman for the Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the attack, along with those at Ras Tanura and Rabigh refineries.
The attack follows similar incidents last weekend with drone strikes at a number of locations throughout Saudi Arabia.
No official word on how Formula 1 will respond has yet been made beyond a statement acknowledging the attack.
“The position at the moment is that we are waiting for further information from the authorities on what has happened and cannot make any further comment at this time,” it said.
A further meeting between F1, the FIA, and the teams is understood to be scheduled for 22:00 local time.
