A member of the Haas team has utilised the power of memes to express his bemusement at the fact that the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been allowed to go ahead as scheduled.
On Friday afternoon, videos began circulating on social media of an oil refinery which had caught fire around 10 kilometres from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit where the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is being held.
Consequently, the second practice session was delayed as the drivers met with Formula 1 management to discuss the situation. It transpired that Houthis militants had carried out a missile attack on the Aramco plant, but the Saudi authorities have insisted that they have no interest in attacking the grand prix.
FP2 went ahead with plumes of black smoke visible in the distance, and the drivers headed off to their debrief with race control after the session.
However, evidently disgruntled at the race going ahead this weekend, they stayed in the briefing room for over four hours, with F1 management and team principals sporadically joining them.
Eventually, they all left and went home while Mercedes’ George Russell, head of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association [GPDA], headed to race control for a further meeting with CEO Stefano Domenicali and the team bosses.
Saudi Motorsport emphasised that the safety of everyone in the paddock is their main priority, and they are happy for the race to go ahead.
“The race organisers remain in direct contact with the Saudi security authorities, as well as F1 and the FIA to ensure all necessary security and safety measures continue to be implemented to guarantee the safety of all visitors to the Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as well as all drivers, teams and stakeholders,” said a statement.
“The race weekend schedule will continue as planned. The safety and security of all our guests continues to be our main priority and we look forward to welcoming fans for a weekend of premium racing and entertainment.”
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Dane Woods, an electronics technician at Haas, took to Instagram to post a picture of a ticked box that read “Race in active warzone,” before the iconic dog in a burning house meme, with the cartoon dog saying “this is fine.”
Despite the drivers’ apparent efforts, it would appear that the race is set to go ahead, but concern continues over the possibility of further attacks in Jeddah.