No ‘arm twisting’ to convince F1 drivers to race in Saudi Arabia

Following the missile strike on an Aramco oil facility less than 10 miles away from the circuit during opening practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, F1 held talks with all 20 drivers to assure them of their safety for the rest of the weekend.

But following their usual pre-race briefing in Jeddah, the drivers separately discussed concerns about continuing with the race weekend that were ultimately allayed following a four-hour meeting that stretched into the early hours…