2nd practice at Saudi Arabian GP delayed after nearby fire

JEDDAH, TGO: The second practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was delayed by 15 minutes after a raging fire erupted at an oil depot nearby in Jeddah on Friday. Yemen’s Houthis rebels acknowledged they launched a series of attacks on the kingdom.

While Saudi Arabia and its state-run oil behemoth Saudi Aramco did not immediately acknowledge the blaze, it appeared to be centered on the same fuel depot the Houthis attacked in recent days.

An Associated Press photojournalist covering the first practice earlier saw the smoke rising in the distance to the east, just after 5:40 p.m. local time. As the flames rose, the tops of the tanks of the bulk plant were clearly visible.

The second practice was to begin under floodlights at 8 p.m. local time. But it was pushed back to 8:15 p.m. and got underway following a meeting between drivers, team principals and F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

Saudi Arabia state TV said there was a “hostile operation” that targeted the Jeddah oil depot, which erupted in flames during the first practice about 11 kilometers (seven miles) away.