A Saudi Aramco oil storage facility located near the Jeddah F1 track was reportedly hit by a terrorist attack just as F1 kicked off its first practice session on Friday. Black was seen billowing in the distance as the facility was ablaze, with initial reports pointing to a missile attack launched by Yemen’s rebel Houthi militia.
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An F1 spokesman said: “We are waiting for further information from the authorities on what has happened.” Yemen’s Houthi militia have been heavily targeting Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure since the beginning of the year with missiles and drones, which has led to heightened security around this weekend’s F1 event in Jeddah. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is located approximately 10 km from the Saudi Aramco facility that was attacked, and the burning oil could be smelt at the venue, so much so that a worried Red Bull’s Max Verstappen radioed in during the session to inform his team of the smell.