“Following the widely reported incident in Jeddah on Friday, there have been extensive discussions among all stakeholders, Saudi government officials and security agencies, who have given full and detailed assurance that the incident is safe,” the statement said. ” ,
“It has been agreed with all stakeholders to maintain a frank and open dialogue throughout the event and for the future.”
Friday’s explosion at the Aramco facility – an F1 sponsor – occurred about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the track and smoke could be seen rising over the city during Friday’s practice.
However, sources told CNN that drivers were feeling uneasy after the attack and that many did not want to take part in the race.
Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) president Alex Wurz issued a statement on Saturday, saying Friday was a “tough day” for the sport and a “stressful day” for the drivers.
He added that “seeing the smoke from the event” it is “hard to remain a fully focused race driver.”
Wurz said the attack was followed by lengthy discussion and debate but “the result was a resolution” that the race would go ahead with the drivers’ participation.
“That’s why we hope that the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be remembered as a good race rather than the event that happened yesterday,” Wurz said.
The drivers are set to go to the track to qualify on the Saturday before the race on Sunday itself.
no casualties in the attack
The Houthis said they used a “large number” of drones to target the facility in Friday’s attack.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said a ballistic missile and 10 bomb-laden drones launched from the southern border by Iran-backed rebels had been intercepted, according to Saudi state-run TV channel Al-Ekhbariya. The statement did not mention the attack on Jeddah.
An official told CNN there were no casualties so far in the attack.
Saudi state media later reported that the Saudi-led Arab coalition launched airstrikes in Yemen following Friday’s attack, which it called “sources of danger in Sanaa and Hodeidah”.
The port city of Hodeidah is used to provide food and humanitarian aid for Yemenis. Fuel usually arrives in the north of the country via the port, which is controlled by Houthi rebels – but the Yemeni government, backed by Saudi warships, must clear the ships to dock.
Saudi Arabia has justified its blockade of the port by accusing the Houthis of evading taxes from fuel arriving in Hodeidah to fund their war effort, an allegation also leveled by the US and the United Nations.
CNN’s Irene Nasser in Hong Kong, Talia Kayali and Heera Humayun in Atlanta, Nick Robertson, Iyad Kurdi, Amanda Davis and Mustafa Salem contributed to this report.