The son of Michael Schumacher, aged 23, was not injured, according to the first examinations carried out at the medical center of the circuit.

The German was still airlifted to a hospital for "precautionary checks", said the International Automobile Federation (FIA), and will be forfeited on Sunday, his team said.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) was eliminated in the first phase of qualifying, the first time this has happened to him since the 2017 Brazilian GP.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was eliminated on March 26, 2022, in the first phase (Q1) of qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Jeddah circuit ANDREJ ISAKOVIC AFP

Sixteenth of the "qualifiers", the Briton plans to "modify his car" to avoid suffering the same lack of aerodynamic support at the rear during the race, with the consequence of having to start behind the peloton, from the lane of stalls.

It is therefore Pérez, 32 years old and two victories in F1 in 2020 and 2021, who will start in the lead on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. French time), after having beaten Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), winner of the first event of the season. last week.

The Mexican has had the luxury of also beating his Dutch teammate Max Verstappen.

The world champion could not do better than 4th, without explaining why, and will share the second row with the other Ferrari driver, Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr.

"Security"

Frenchman Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Briton George Russell (Mercedes) will follow them.

The other tricolor Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) will be 9th.

Schumacher's accident has rekindled concerns about a very fast and tight circuit, on which crashes are unforgiving and visibility is sometimes lacking.

German driver Mick Schumacher, driving his Haas-Ferrari, was the victim of a very violent off-track excursion during qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix on March 26, 2022 at the Jeddah ANDREJ circuit. ISAKOVIC AFP

It was not necessary after the Houthis attacked an oil depot about ten kilometers from the Jeddah circuit on Friday, on the eve of the seventh anniversary of the intervention of the military coalition led by Riyadh in Yemen, to support the government in the face of rebels close to Iran.

It caused a gigantic fire visible from the track in free practice 1. The governing bodies of F1 announced the maintenance of the GP in the hours that followed but the drivers debated it until much later in the night from Friday to Saturday.

An oil site on fire on March 25, 2022 near the Jeddah circuit, where the Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix takes place this weekend - AFP

Finally, the final confirmation came at midday on Saturday, first from the championship organizers and then from the drivers' union, whose safety concerns were apparently met.

"It may give the impression that we were worried about our safety but it was for yours, the media, the mechanics, the spectators", explained the Spaniard Fernando Alonso (Alpine) on Saturday evening.

"Trust"

"I think it's a good decision," added Russell.

"You have to trust the local authorities and the organizers wouldn't be there if it wasn't safe."

This does not mean that the debate will stop around a GP already disputed because of human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, where F1 settled last year.

"I can't wait to go," slipped Hamilton, when Verstappen launched: "We all decided to run but, after this weekend, we will have to talk about the whole situation again".

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, March 26, 2022, before the 3rd free practice session of the Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Jeddah circuit ANDREJ ISAKOVIC AFP

"It is not us who are in charge of the calendar" but F1 and the FIA, even if the teams are consulted, recalled a little earlier Jost Capito, leader of Williams.

"If discussions are to take place, it will be after the Grand Prix, not during, as long as we are safe."

If the paddock remained, a few followers still left Jeddah, including former German driver Ralf Schumacher, consultant for his country's television.

At the same time, not without consequence for the rest of the GP, a spokesman for the Houthi rebels announced on Saturday that the latter would cease their offensives in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia for "three days".

© 2022 AFP