Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton and other F1 drivers uncomfortable returning to Jeddah

The rocket onslaught during past year's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix play was 9 miles from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit

Lewis Hamilton and a fig of chap Formula 1 drivers person made it wide they are uncomfortable astir being backmost successful Saudi Arabia.

On Thursday's media day, Hamilton initially refused to reply questions astir the concern but aboriginal added that F1 was "duty bound to rise awareness" of quality rights issues.

The drivers person been fixed reassurances by Saudi authorities and F1 bosses that a bid of steps person been enactment successful spot to guarantee this year's lawsuit is not disrupted successful the aforesaid mode and that their information is not nether threat.

They person been told that determination is simply a ceasefire successful spot betwixt Saudi Arabia and the Houthi radical successful Yemen.

Haas operator Kevin Magnussen said: "Last twelvemonth was pretty, erm, special. None of america enjoyed it. but it is simply a antithetic concern now, determination is simply a antithetic political… determination is simply a ceasefire betwixt the 2 parties that were progressive past twelvemonth and that gives immoderate confidence.

"Anyway, we spell to these places and we conscionable person to woody with it the champion we tin and get through."

• Ferrari's Leclerc acceptable for grid punishment successful Saudi Arabia
• How to travel the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Alpine's Esteban Ocon added: "It was scary what happened past twelvemonth and nary of america wants to ever acquisition thing similar that, but we spot everyone astir to enactment america successful a harmless concern to race."

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Red Bull's Sergio Perez said they trusted F1 and the contention organisers to look aft them and that they believed affirmative alteration was happening successful Saudi Arabia, which has been accused by quality rights groups of wide abuses.

Hamilton was the past to reply successful the authoritative quality league connected matters of information and quality rights, and initially said that helium believed "the other to everything they [Stroll and Perez] said".

Pressed connected whether helium was referring to quality rights oregon safety, helium said: "I don't privation to get into either."

But erstwhile asked whether helium had ever considered not racing again successful Saudi Arabia, helium said: "If I americium not here, F1 volition proceed connected without maine truthful what I effort to bash is larn arsenic overmuch arsenic I can.

"I inactive consciousness that arsenic a athletics going to places with quality rights issues specified arsenic this one, the athletics is work bound to rise consciousness and effort to permission a affirmative impact.

"I consciousness it needs to bash more. What that is I don't person each the answers but we ever request to bash much to effort to rise consciousness of things radical are struggling with."

Human rights radical Reprieve has accused F1 of "never earnestly engaging with quality rights and the mode the athletics is utilized to whitewash abuses by immoderate of the world's astir repressive regimes".

Its manager Maya Foa said that determination had been astatine slightest 13 executions successful Saudi Arabia successful the past 2 weeks.

Foa added: "Carrying retired these executions connected the eve of the Jeddah Grand Prix is simply a brazen show of impunity by the Saudi authorities, assured that the athletics and its commercialized partners volition enactment silent, and that the pageantry of F1 volition distract from the bloodshed.

"Drivers are being enactment successful the intolerable presumption of wondering however galore much volition beryllium executed implicit the 4 days of qualifying and racing. The sport's quality rights occupation has ne'er been much glaring."

And the household of Abdullah al-Howaiti - a Saudi antheral who is connected decease enactment for crimes the authorities says helium committed erstwhile helium was 14, and which helium says helium was tortured into signing a confession for - person written to Hamilton thanking him for raising the lawsuit past year.

F1 said successful a statement: "For decades Formula 1 has worked hard beryllium a affirmative unit everyplace it races, including economic, social, and taste benefits.

"Sports similar F1 are uniquely positioned to transverse borders and cultures to bring countries and communities unneurotic to stock the passionateness and excitement of unthinkable contention and achievement.

"We instrumentality our responsibilities precise earnestly and person made our presumption connected quality rights and different issues wide to each our partners and big countries who perpetrate to respect quality rights successful the mode their events are hosted and delivered."