Last night and early this morning Beijing time, the first day of the 2022 F1 Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia , two practice sessions – took place on the street circuit in Jeddah.
However, Saudi Aramco's oil facility in Jeddah was attacked by missiles by Yemen's Houthi armed forces, which threatened whether the tournament could be held as scheduled.
The missile-attacked oil facility is less than 20 kilometers from the Jeddah circuit. The attack happened during last night's first practice session, and huge black smoke from the explosion and oil burning could be seen in the distance.
The second practice match in the early hours of this morning Beijing time was also postponed for 15 minutes for this reason before the start of the game.
Early in the morning Beijing time, after many discussions, F1 CEO Domenikali said that the local government of Saudi Arabia promised that the game was safe, and they also believed in local safety, so the saturday and Sunday matches of the Saudi Arabia station would be held as scheduled.
Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu drove his Alfa Romeo car and performed decently in two practice sessions. His first practice match was 1:32.608, ranking 14th; the second practice was 1:31.615, ranking 17th.
Zhou Guanyu's teammate Bottas performed better, ranking 3rd and 9th in both practice matches.
Ferrari continued their strength in the first leg, with Leclerc, who won the championship in Bahrain, finishing first in both practice sessions. He also brushed up the fastest lap of the day in 1:30.074 for his second practice session.
The qualifying round for the Saudi Arabia leg of the Formula 1 Grand Prix will take place at 1:00 a.m. Beijing time on Sunday; the main stage will be held at 1:00 a.m. Beijing time on Monday.