Drivers guaranteed safety at the Saudi Grand Prix

F1 returns to Saudi Arabia this weekend for the first time in a year. missile attack Hit an oil depot near the track during race week.

And while drivers expressed confidence in safety ahead of Sunday’s race, F1 champion Lewis Hamilton He took up the human rights issue of the kingdom again.

Drivers have been assured by F1 that increased safety measures will prevent the race from being affected as it was last year. After extensive discussions, the race continued.

The missile strike came two weeks after the mass execution of 81 people in Saudi Arabia. It is the largest in the kingdom’s modern history. Since then, he has had 16 more executions, according to Reprieve, a non-profit organization that advocates for people facing human rights violations.

Saudi Arabia is one of several countries accused “Sports Washing” Violating human rights by attracting attention sporting event give a positive image. Others include Bahrain, which hosted his season-opening F1 race two weeks ago, and Qatar, which hosted football’s World Cup last year and is also hosting an F1 race.

The driver was asked about returning to Jeddah following last year’s missile attacks.

French driver Esteban Ocon said: “We trust FOM (Formula One Management) and the organization to keep us safe. “Obviously, what happened last year was horrible and we No one in the world wants to go through something like that.”

aston martin “We are confident that F1 and the organization will look after us,” said driver Lance Stroll. red bull Rival Sergio Perez said he trusted “the organization that brought us here to compete in a safe place”.

They spoke at a pre-race press conference scheduled for Thursday. But when it was Hamilton’s turn to speak, he said his view was “the exact opposite of everything they said.”

of mercedes Drivers were then asked if they were happy to race in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s open to interpretation,” Hamilton said. “I hope everyone has a safe weekend and can return home safely afterwards.”

Hamilton was asked if he had considered not racing in Saudi Arabia due to human rights concerns.

“The problem is, if I’m not here, Formula 1 will go on without me. When I go to these different places, I still go to places like this, as a sport. I feel. Sport has a duty to raise awareness‘ said Hamilton. I mean, I don’t have all the answers, but I think we should always strive to raise awareness. ”

The family of Abdullah Al-Hawaiti, who faces the death penalty after being arrested in 2017 at the age of 14, this week thanked Hamilton for speaking out about his son during last year’s race.

“You have publicly brought attention to Abdullah’s case. Tell us how much it meant to our family to know that Abdullah was not forgotten. ”

Karen’s departure

Hamilton parted ways with long-term performance coach Angela Cullen on Friday, after working with him for seven years.

Hamilton announces split on his instagram page.

“She made me a stronger athlete and a better person,” Hamilton wrote. “Thank you for everything Ang. I can’t wait to see what your future holds.”

Just like the Bahrain GP two weeks agoHamilton was cleared by the stewards to participate in two practice sessions on Friday following a jewelry inspection.

Hamilton clashed with the Governing Body FIA Received an exception last year over the jewelry ban for his nose stud.

Ferrari question

Ferrari Charles Leclerc has already answered questions about the car’s reliability after retiring in third place near the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix due to engine trouble.

Leclerc holds Sunday’s race 10 grid relegation penalty After Ferrari used a third electronic control unit in its car engine.

Last year, engine reliability issues forced Leclerc to retire while leading the Azerbaijan and Spanish Grand Prix.

Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. finished fourth at the Bahrain Grand Prix, 48 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen’s Red Bull car.

Sainz said, “We are the first to not be happy. “We faced race pace and reliability issues that we honestly didn’t expect to face.”

Ferrari replaced both cars’ power units on Friday as a further precaution.

Kimi Raikkonen won Ferrari’s last drivers’ title in 2007.

___

more APs auto race: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports