F1 drivers made ‘united effort’ to race after Jeddah missile attack, confirms Kevin Magnussen

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Kevin Magnussen has said that Formula 1’s drivers came together in a “united effort” to race after a missile attack close to the Jeddah circuit threatened the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

An oil facility roughly ten miles from the track was set ablaze on Friday afternoon after being struck by a missile, with Yemen’s Houthi rebels claiming responsibility.

That led to concerned drivers to voice their worries to Stefano Domenicali, the F1 chief executive, during a four-hour meeting that stretched into the early hours of Saturday morning.

The decision was eventually made to go ahead with the weekend’s proceedings, with the FIA stating that it had been provided with “full and detailed assurances that the event is secure”.

Magnussen, who returned to Haas ahead of the season after Nikita Mazepin’s abrupt departure after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has now revealed how he and the rest of the grid came together to discuss the right course of action.

“It was great to see that we could actually get together and talk about things and work together in a united effort,” the Danish driver said.

“Obviously, [it was] not a nice situation, and no one felt comfortable yesterday, and everyone had fears and worries, so it was good to have that meeting.

“It was very long, but we learned a lot of things in that meeting, and came out a little wiser.”

Magnussen had marked his return to Formula 1 with an impressive fifth at the Bahrain Grand Prix, and again scored points in Jeddah, crossing the line ninth.

The inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was held in December, and the decision to race in the Middle Eastern nation has been criticised due to the country’s human rights record.

Lewis Hamilton said last year that he was “not comfortable” with the arrangement, and said ahead of this year’s race that he will continue to speak up to try and cause positive changes.

“Ultimately, it is the responsibility of those who are in power to really make the changes and we are not really seeing enough, we need to see more,” he said.

“We don’t decide where we go to race in Formula One, but while it is not necessarily our responsibility, we are duty-bound to try and do what we can.”