Saudi Arabian Grand Prix under threat as explosion causes huge fire near F1 track

Formula One is awaiting news from the Saudi Arabian authorities after a huge fire erupted near the Jeddah circuit ahead of this weekend’s race.

A large cloud of black smoke could be seen from the F1 track after an oil depot exploded less than 20km away from the circuit.

World champion Max Verstappen reported to his Red Bull team over the radio that he could detect the smoke during Friday’s practice session.

‘I smell a bit of a burning feeling,’ said the Dutchman. ‘I am not sure if it is my car, or another car.’

An F1 statement said: ‘The position at the moment is that we are waiting for further information from the authorities on what has happened.’

The fire is around 12 miles away from the track and has sparked fresh doubts over the safety of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Yemeni rebels have reportedly claimed responsibility for the explosion.

<p lang=«en» dir=«ltr» xml:lang=«en»>A huge fire has broken out at an oil depot in Jeddah less than 20 kilometres away from the F1 track. Craig Slater gives us the latest details ðpic.twitter.com/v04POqUE0b

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who won the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend, finished fastest in the opening session in Jeddah ahead of Verstappen.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was ninth for Mercedes following his podium finish in Bahrain.

More to follow…