Damon Hill has hit out at F1’s decision to continue with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after a missile strike. The 1996 champion claimed F1 was “literally playing with fire” over its decision to continue the race weekend despite the attack.
The decision was made to continue after four hours of discussions with drivers and senior figures after the end of free practice two. It is understood team principals had been unanimous in their support to trace but this was not shared by some of the drivers.
However, F1 bosses and local Saudi Government have stressed there will be heightened security at the event meaning the Grand Prix will continue. Drivers ultimately agreed to take part in Sunday’s Grand Prix after being given extra information, including a warning about the consequences of not racing.
But it’s a decision that has been questioned by Hill, who believes F1 are taking a big risk.
He said: “How incongruous is this? Nothing to be alarmed about. Race on.
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“Consequently we went into long discussions between ourselves, with our team principals, and with the most senior people who run our sport.
“A large variety of opinions were shared and debated and, having listened not only to the F1 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 practise 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.”
