Saudi Arabia and the Formula One circuit in Jeddah come under more criticism this weekend, with drivers questioning the future of the race
Does Saudi Arabia still have a future in Formula One? That’s the question the drivers want to ask themselves after Friday’s missile attack and ongoing concerns over track safety have dominated the weekend’s headlines so far
There was a four-hour drivers’ meeting on Friday evening that lasted well into the night. It included a boycott of the race after Huthi rebels attacked a factory building belonging to Formula One’s premium sponsor Aramco and there was an explosion in the immediate vicinity of the track in Jeddah.
This was followed on Saturday by a serious accident involving Mick Schumacher, who will miss Sunday’s race. This again sparked discussions about safety, although there had been modifications to the circuit before the weekend.
All this comes just days after Formula One boss Stefano Domenicali announced major interest with a potential for 30 races. But because the current Concorde agreement allows for a maximum of 25 races, some races will have to be left out.
The question after the weekend is: Should Saudi Arabia be included? For Carlos Sainz, it’s a question that Formula One, the FIA and the drivers will have to look into. “There will have to be discussions after the race because what has happened in the last 24 hours is definitely cause for conversation and something we have to consider for the future.”
Saudi Arabia has a lucrative deal with Formula One that is said to be worth around €600 million over ten years. That includes a change of venue, which is to be in Qiddiya instead of Jeddah in the future.
The deal with Saudi Arabia brought some criticism to Formula One, as the kingdom wants to “sportswash” with the event, while it has been denounced in many quarters for its human rights record.
“I think there are definitely some considerations we need to make as a group to see what’s best for the sport going forward,” said Sergio Perez, with Charles Leclerc agreeing: “I don’t want to go into too much detail right now, but it’s definitely a discussion we should have after this race, when everything has calmed down, and then we’ll see where we go from there.”
Domenicali had recently warned that some current races are likely to be dropped from the calendar to make way for new Grands Prix such as Qatar or Las Vegas.