JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – The top Formula One drivers have made it clear that they want to revisit the topic of Formula One’s presence in Saudi Arabia after Sunday’s race is over.
On Friday night, all 20 F1 drivers were on the verge of boycott This year’s Saudi Arabia Grand Prix follows a missile attack on a nearby oil depot that has raised security concerns.
In a series of meetings that lasted more than four hours, F1 executives, team bosses and Saudi officials tried to reassure drivers about the safety of the event, and at 2 :30 am on Saturday a The collective decision was made to race as usual.
Details of how that deal was reached are still tight-lipped between those involved, but several drivers made it clear on Saturday that they wanted to revisit the topic of racing in Saudi Arabia after race weekend. finish.
“I don’t want to go into too much detail on this topic right now, but it’s definitely a discussion we should have after this race, once things settle down and we’ll look at it again, and then we’ll see, “Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc speak.
His Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz added: “I agree. I think there will need to be discussions after this race. Because obviously what has happened in the last 24 hours is certainly a point of discussion and consideration that we need to take,” he added. need to be done in the future.”
Mercedes driver George Russellwho represented the drivers on Saturday during their 2am concluding meeting with team bosses, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, said the racing decision was at the end. This week is right but the discussion of Friday’s events will not end there.
“I think clarity is needed, conversation is definitely needed,” Russell said. “And I think it’s good, first, we are all united, among all the drivers, then together with Formula 1, and finally, we believe in Stefano, Formula 1 said. And, you know, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think it was right to be here.
“Obviously, it’s going to take some clarity after this weekend’s race where we’re going from here. But from what I understand, everything is under control in this particular area and what. happens outside of the area, you have no control over. I don’t know what to say, really.”
Driver Alfa Romeo Valtteri Bottas revealed that, beyond the increased security guarantees, one of the more compelling arguments for racing this weekend is that the teams will be stranded in Saudi Arabia for logistical reasons and lack of flights fly.
“We’re drivers, we’re all worried if it’s safe for all of us to race here, we’ve got a reasonable explanation for everything,” he said. speak. “And we also went through all the options like ‘What if we don’t race,’ for example, because the teams would still have to stay here for a few days packing up and it’s not like We can create some new fights so everyone can go home.
“So we’re all here, let’s finish the race. They’ve beefed up the security and defense systems, so everyone agrees that we can do the race and hope for the best. the best.”
Driving McLaren Daniel Ricciardo said he feels drivers are a central part of this weekend’s decision to race, but the issues raised Friday should be revisited.
“I think that’s what we have to do, keep evaluating,” he said. “We were very involved in the discussion and it was not a one-way discussion last night.
“That’s probably the best way to say it. We were very much involved in what the end result was, which is something we all agreed on.”
Domenicali was interviewed by Sky Sports after the knockout session and was asked if Friday’s events raised question marks over Saudi Arabia’s place in the upcoming F1 schedule.
“No, I don’t think it’s a question mark, it’s a matter of understanding the situation for sure,” he said. “We’re not blind but we don’t have to forget a thing, this country is also true to Formula 1 and the sport, we believe is taking a huge step forward.
“You can’t pretend to change a millennium-old culture in the blink of an eye, the resources they have to move forward, you see here women couldn’t drive a few years ago , they’re getting there, they’re changing a lot of the laws to make sure this is happening.
“Of course there are tensions, things need to improve, we don’t want to be political about that, but I believe we are playing a very important role in the modernization of this country, we are focused on making sure this is central to our agenda.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said the most important thing was to avoid a repeat of a situation like Friday’s, where a race could be questioned by a disagreement over security.
“I think the drivers are the stakeholders in the sport, as are the teams and the franchise owners,” he said. “And that’s why everyone’s opinion is allowed and will be part of the discussion.
“In the end it’s Stefano who decides where we race, along with Mohammed, and that’s the thing. But we certainly want to avoid a situation like yesterday where we don’t know if the race will continue or not. “
