Oil depot fire in Jeddah has lead to a closed door meeting between FIA and teams / drivers.
Hmmmm.
https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...uI24mXUzkCLZf0
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix: Fire breaks out at Jeddah oil depot ahead of F1 race weekend
F1 said in a statement: "The position at the moment is that we are waiting for further information from the authorities on what has happened."
A fire erupted at an oil depot in Jeddah on Friday ahead of the F1 Grand Prix race scheduled to take place in the Saudi Arabian city, with Yemen's Houthis rebels acknowledging that they had launched a series of attacks on the kingdom.
A large black smoke cloud could be seen from the F1 track towards the end of first practice, and Max Verstappen reported on team radio that he could smell "burning" from the cockpit of his Red Bull car
Practice continued as normal - as did qualifying for F2 - and there is no suggestion that Sunday's race will not go ahead.
An F1 statement said: "The position at the moment is that we are waiting for further information from the authorities on what has happened."
Saudi Arabia and the state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco did not immediately acknowledge the blaze, though it appeared to be centered on the same fuel depot that the Houthis attacked in recent days.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
F1 drivers have not yet spoken to media, although near the end of first practice Verstappen said on team radio: "I smell a bit of a burning feeling. I am not sure if it is my car, or another car."
His engineer Gianpiero Lambiase replied: "We are happy it is not your car."
Attack is latest in a long-running conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen
Analysis by Sky Sports News' Craig Slater
"We're still awaiting official confirmation regarding exactly what this blaze is and perhaps more significantly what has caused it.
"But clearly, you can see those thick black clouds of smoke somewhere between 10-15km from the circuit itself.
"From local media we understand the blaze is at an oil refinery and the al-Masirah satellite news channel run by the Yemenese Houthis group who are in dispute with Saudi Arabia, there has been a long-running conflict within Yemen, in advance of this Grand Prix human rights groups in this country explaining to me that they viewed Saudi Arabia's incursions into Yemen in an attempt to tamper with the politics there akin to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"This has been a long-running conflict and rocket attacks have been part of it.
"Four days ago there was a rocket attack targeting this oil refinery in advance of the Grand Prix itself.
"A couple of years ago around the Formula E event held in Saudi Arabia there was another rocket attack and it caused, temporarily, those Formula E teams to have to postpone their return to the UK.
"We're still waiting on official confirmation that this blaze has been caused by a rocket attack.
"What I would have to say in context to all of this is this happened towards the end of first practice which continued to its conclusion and while the smoke was filling the sky the Formula 2 qualifying also continued.
"So does that give us some kind of early indication that those in control of this event don't see there is clear and present danger threatening the circuit?
"However you would question what happens next if it is confirmed this is some kind of attack so close to the circuit there in Jeddah."