Last night, the one between Friday and Saturday in Jeddah, was one of those that will hardly be forgotten in the history of Formula 1. Unfortunately, there was no track-related news to occupy the center of attention. In fact, the eyes were focused on the close news and – collaterally – also on the delicate field of sports policy. Everything obviously revolved around the disturbing story of the missile which, during the PL1 session, hit a structure of Aramco, the Saudi national hydrocarbon company, about 20 km from the circuit. The attack was claimed by the Houthisan armed group from Yemen, active in an anti-government function and supported by Iran, a state against which Saudi Arabia is at war.
F1, event organizers and team principals immediately expressed their firm will to continue regularly in the race weekend. Soon though it became clear that the pilots were not on the same wavelength. At least, not all of them. The first sign was the cancellation of all media meeting sessions. This was also demonstrated plastically by the river meeting which lasted for over four hours during the night in Jeddah and characterized by the constant comings and goings of team principals and motorsport leaders themselves, from F1 boss Stefano Domenicali to FIA president Ben Sulayem. But who were most opposed to the regular continuation of the Grand Prix?
According to what was reconstructed by the Gazzetta dello Sport there would be five names of the ‘dissidents’: Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso – or the two veterans of the grid, with the absence of Vettel, positive for Covid – Pierre Gasly, George Russell – director of the GPDA – e Lance Stroll. These five pilots would have required more reassurance on the safety conditions of the entire event. Not only that: their fear was also that moving forward normally with the pre-established schedule would eventually provide an even wider stage for further violent demonstration actions. Only once the necessary reassurances were obtained from the top leaders of the Circus did the entire GPDA have the okay, then communicated by Russell himself to Ben Suayem and Domenicali.
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