When a missile hit an oil site near the track hosting the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Friday, talks between Formula One teams and drivers shifted from human rights to personal safety.
The big question: Was it safe to stay in Jeddah and race the second race of the F1 season after the attack some 11 kilometers away?
Emergency meetings were held late into the night before the decision to race was confirmed at midday on Saturday. World champion Max Verstappen won the race on Sunday but says answers are still needed.
“As far as racing here, well, we had a lot of guarantees that we would be safe,” the Red Bull driver revealed. But I think after this weekend all the drivers [s’assiéront]together [et] will speak to F1, and of course the team bosses, to see what happens for the future. »
The attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted the factory north of Jeddah, just southeast of the city’s international airport, where F1 supporters flew in for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix .
The attack came two weeks after 81 people were put to death in Saudi Arabia in the kingdom’s largest mass execution. Even when F1 staged its inaugural race at the circuit last December, drivers raised concerns about human rights.
Questions were raised over the weekend whether the lucrative deals signed with Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia — which would pay US$55 million a year to host the race — are worth it given all that can accompany a race; and whether commercial interests take precedence in the final decision to host races.
And it looks like there’s a long queue to join F1, which is holding a record-breaking 23-race season. The sport’s popularity grew with the Netflix series Drive to Survive (Formula 1: Drivers of Their Destiny) and was boosted by last year’s thrilling duel for the Drivers’ Championship between Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen.
“The good news is that Formula 1 is living a high point, where many countries would like to host (a race),” said F1 Chairman and CEO Stefano Domenicali.
“Washing Through Sport”
Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been accused of “sportswashing” their human rights records by using high-profile sporting events to project a favorable image of these countries.
A 10-year contract signed with Qatar starts from 2023 – after the inaugural race last year – and Bahrain’s contract has been extended until 2036.
Qatar is set to host the FIFA World Cup and is under scrutiny over the conditions of migrant workers preparing the facilities ahead of the event kicking off on November 21.
A familiar refrain is that the presence of high profile sporting events can be a force for change.
“We think what we are doing will have a very positive impact on the political situation,” Domenicali claimed.
F1 terminated its contract with Russia after the country invaded Ukraine. Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel said he wouldn’t race there anyway. Other drivers nodded, and in winter testing they carried “No War” messages as they rallied behind a Ukrainian flag.
Saudi Arabia leads a coalition against the Iran-backed Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in September 2014. The kingdom went to war in Yemen in 2015 and has been internationally criticized for its strikes aircraft killing civilians.
Nightly airstrikes on Sanaa and Hodeida — both held by the Houthis — followed the rebels’ attack on the oil depot in Jeddah.
If F1 didn’t have to go to places at war, like Russia, then why go to Saudi Arabia?
“It’s different if a country invades another country, or if something happens with terrorists,” noted Williams team manager Jost Capito.
Team principals at the weekend were asked how financial factors influence decisions to stay there.
“We should not back down or isolate ourselves from these countries because of the criticism we receive,” said McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl. I see the unique chance we have in the sport to share this passion for Formula 1, to drive this positive change.
“Not just on the economy, for the country here, but also in terms of positive change on society. »
There have been backlashes involving other events in the past, for example Saudi Arabia came under scrutiny after buying Premier League football club Newcastle.
And in 2019, singer Nicki Minaj canceled a concert in Saudi Arabia to show her support for women’s rights, gay rights and free speech.
F1 personalities are aware of the ongoing issues.
“Do Saudi Arabia and some of the other countries in the Middle East share the same values, the same culture as we in Europe? They don’t. Are they where we want them to be? No, admitted, Saturday, the sporting director of Mercedes, Toto Wolff. I’d rather come here and shine the spotlight on the region than say, ‘I’m not going, I’m not going there, I don’t want to hear anything.’”
He was asked if it was appropriate to contest a race a few kilometers from an attack.
“For us, is it acceptable to run (almost) where there is a missile that is aiming at a gas tank? Certainly not, confessed Wolff. But here, in their culture, these things happen. I don’t want to say, “Well, I don’t run,” because I’m generally someone who wants to give people the chance to improve. »