Haas engineer jokes about ‘taking shelter from inbound missiles’ during Saudi Arabia prep | F1 | Sport

A Haas engineer has posted several photos to Instagram joking about the situation in Saudi Arabia after a Yemen rebel group attacked a nearby Aramco oil facility. Drivers met with F1 bosses and team principals to discuss their safety ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday.

As the opening practice session took place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit – hosting its second Grand Prix after the inaugural race last year – began on Friday, a missile struck a nearby oil facility. Yemen’s Houthi rebel group have since taken responsibility and claimed to be behind the attack.

The racing action continued during second practice, although the start was delayed. Following the session, drivers and team principals met with F1 bosses Stefano Domenicali and Ross Brawn to discuss the issue at hand. 

Drivers expressed concerns about their safety and were reportedly considering boycotting the entire race weekend. After four hours of talks, they agreed to race amid reports they were warned of ‘possible consequences’. 

READ MORE: F1’s Saudi Arabian GP ‘issue’ despite ‘pack up and leave’ warning