The second round of the championship, the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia, fell into chaos on Friday when rebels attacked an oil depot about nine miles from the Jeddah track, hitting it with a rocket. As the smoke blew into the air, the drivers had a four-hour meeting with Formula 1 bosses and the FIA to discuss the situation. It ended at 2 in the morning with the F1 leader, Stefano Domenicali, declaring “we will fight”. There have since been reports that drivers have been warned of the possible consequences if they boycott the race, with Bottas confirming that this was up for discussion. “We were all worried about whether it was safe for all of us to be here to race here and we got decent explanations for things,” the Alfa Romeo driver told The Race. “We also went through all the options, like what if we do not play and, for example, that means the team has to stay here for a few days picking things up and it is not that we can suddenly create new flights to go home. “We are already here, so the best option was to fight here. “They increased all the security facilities and all these defenses, so I think everyone agreed that we can also do the fight and we hope for the best.” Asked if he personally was OK with the games in Saudi Arabia, he replied: “I prefer not to answer that question.” Ralf Schumacher, who has reportedly left Saudi Arabia, says: “I think the pressure on Formula 1 is huge. There is a very, very large amount of money being paid and there is a long-term contract # # F1 just can’t “pull the ripcord. I think that’s the problem.” pic.twitter.com/QdHVvHNWtV – PlanetF1 (@ Planet_F1) March 26, 2022 With Formula 1 making the call to continue the race weekend, Sergio Perez reached his first place on Saturday night. He, however, was one of the drivers who had reservations about their stay in the country. He said: “We were concerned about our safety, but also about the safety of our engineers, our engineers, everyone in here. “But obviously, we know so much as drivers, so it was very important that we were all together. “At the end of the day, this is our sport and we are all together. We felt that the right thing to do was to move on and just fight. “There are not many details that need to be said.” The driver of the Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, refused to inform the media about his whereabouts, the Briton said: “I am not here to comment. We worked together as a team, we all discussed and made a decision as a sport “. As for Carlos Sainz, who will line up the P3 on the grid of Saudi Arabia, he says “it’s time to focus on the fight. “There will be a lot to discuss in the future.”
