"It has been a long night" - F1 team principals on discussions following attack close to F1 Saudi Arabian GP venue

F1 teams and drivers decided to continue with the 2022 Saudi Arabian GP after a reported missile attack occurred at an oil field in Jeddah.

All drivers were locked in a four-hour-long meeting that ran late into Friday night, which eventually ended with the race in Jeddah not being boycotted.

Speaking to the media during a pre-race press conference for team principals, Ferrari F1 boss Mattia Binotto shared insight into what they called a long night. The Italian said:

“It has been a long night but first, I think, let’s focus on the facts. It’s never great. I think, to see what happened. We know that this is not the first time this is happening in this country, in this area. It’s never great. Again, I think if there is any reason as (a part of) F1 that we are here, or what we can do as F1 being here, is (to) try to get a positive message and that is our duty, it’s our task. And I think by being here is we really need to try to do. I’m pretty sure that in the future, everything will be addressed, will be improved as well as going through our effort.”

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McLaren boss Andreas Seidl praises FIA and F1 for 'transparent dialog' after missile attack in Jeddah

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl was relieved to see transparency in the discussions between the FIA, F1 and the drivers after safety and security issues were raised.

Speaking at the aforementioned pre-race press conference, the German said:

“It was very alarming news yesterday afternoon when we saw the incident and therefore, I think it was simply important yesterday evening to take our time, also together with the drivers. The drivers were also between themselves, together with the FIA, F1 and the authorities here in order to get a good overview in a transparent way also of what happened and what we can expect in terms of safety and security moving forward. And that took a bit of time, but I guess it was important to invest that time and also have this open and transparent dialog. In the end, with all the assurances that we got from the authorities here, we came to the decision that the correct way is to continue the event as planned and we feel comfortable with that.”

McLaren did not look their best in Bahrain and could be in for another baptism by fire in the desert heat of Saudi Arabia. With all Mercedes powered cars struggling for pace, it remains to be seen if their decision to race in Jeddah bears any fruit.