Missile launched by Yemeni rebels hit near Saudi Arabian Grand Prix track

A large fire broke out this Friday at an Aramco facility in the city of Jeddah, the second largest in Saudi Arabia and which this weekend hosts the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix of Formula One, according to numerous images spread on social networks, while Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an attack against the Saudi state oil company in that town.

The images of the flames coming out of some Aramco warehouses and a column of smoke that rises several hundred meters and is visible from all over Jeddah, where free practice for the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be held this Friday, have been widely shared on Twitter by various users.

Although the local authorities have not yet reported on the matter, the Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, assured in a televised message that they had carried out an attack “against Aramco facilities in Jeddah and other vital facilities in the capital of the Saudi enemy, Riyadh. , with a batch of missiles”.

The second free practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the second of the F1 World Championship, which is held in Jeddah, started fifteen minutes late due to a fire in an oil installation near the urban circuit, which -in the absence of confirmation – it was not ruled out that it had been caused by an attack.

The race management met with the teams to inform them of the situation and at the moment the cars are already running in Jeddah.

Charles Leclerc set the fastest time on Friday, ahead of world champion Max Verstappen, in the first practice session ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver set his best time near the end of the session and was 0.116sec quicker than Verstappen’s Red Bull.

Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo was third on the 6.2-kilometre (3.8-mile) Yida Croniche Circuit, 0.312 seconds behind Leclerc. Carlos Sáinz Jr. was fourth with the other Ferrari.