F1: GPDA and FIA Statements on Jeddah incident

The Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA), headed by former F1 driver Alex Wurz, put out the following statement after Friday’s events in Jeddah:

“Yesterday was a difficult day for Formula 1 and a stressful day for us Formula 1 drivers.

“Perhaps it is hard to comprehend if you have never driven an F1 car on this fast and challenging Jeddah track but, on seeing the smoke from the incident, it was difficult to remain a fully focused race driver and erase natural human concerns.

“A large variety of opinions were shared and debated and, having listened not only to the Formula 1 powers but also to the Saudi government ministers who explained how security measures were being elevated to the maximum, the outcome was a resolution that we would practice and qualify today, and race tomorrow.

“We therefore hope that the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be remembered as a good race rather than for the incident that took place yesterday.”

F1 and FIA Joint Statement