F1's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to Go On as Planned Despite Attack on Nearby Oil Depot

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will go on as planned despite a Houthi-claimed missile attack on an Aramco oil storage facility less than 10 miles from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, where the race is scheduled to take place, on Friday evening.

A Formula 1 spokesperson released a statement on the matter, per Giles Richards of The Guardian:

“Formula One has been in close contact with the relevant authorities following the situation that took place today. The authorities have confirmed that the event can continue as planned and we will remain in close contact with them and all the teams and closely monitor the situation.”

Drivers reportedly met for over four hours late Friday night into Saturday morning in Saudi Arabia to discuss how they would proceed this weekend. According to BBC's Andrew Benson, the drivers ultimately decided to move forward with the race. 

An official told CNN that there were no casualties in the attack by the Houthi, which is a Yemen-based movement that has been battling with Saudi Arabia. CNN's Nic Robertson, Eyad Kourdi and Mostafa Salem provided more details:

"The Houthis said they used a 'large number' of drones to target the facility. The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said one ballistic missile and 10 bomb-laden drones launched by the Iran-backed group from the southern border were intercepted, according to Saudi state-run TV channel al-Ekhbariya. The statement did not mention an attack on Jeddah."

Per ESPN F1 editor Laurence Edmondson, drivers and team principals held a meeting with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to have conversations about the attacks. A 15-minute delay held up the second practice session as the meeting went down.

Numerous team leaders, including Red Bull boss Christian Horner and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, are on board with the decision to race.

"[The F1 circuit] is probably the safest place that you can be in Saudi Arabia at the moment," Wolff said, per Edmondson.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will begin Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at the Jeddah street circuit.