Formula 1 drivers agreed to race in Saudi Arabia this weekend despite security concerns, despite a missile attack near the Jeddah track.
The race will go ahead on Sunday after four hours of meetings between drivers and senior figures. The decision was made in the morning.
The Grand Prix Drivers Association said it was difficult to remove natural human concerns.
F1 bosses and Saudi government ministers reassured them.
The drivers decided to race at the end of the day after a missile attack on an oil facility nine miles from the track.
Senior figures came and went as drivers started a discussion over whether to race an hour after second practice had ended.
It was a difficult day for Formula 1 and a difficult day for us F1 drivers, according to the GPDA statement on Saturday.
It said that it was difficult to remain a fully focused race driver after seeing the smoke from the incident.
We went into long discussions with our team principals and the most senior people who run our sport.
The outcome was a resolution that we would practise and qualify today and race tomorrow, after listening to the Saudi government ministers who explained how security measures were being elevated to the maximum.
We hope that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be remembered as a good race rather than for the incident that took place yesterday.
Following the widely reported incident that took place in Jeddah on Friday, there has been extensive discussion between all stakeholders, the Saudi government authorities and security agencies who have given full and detailed assurances that the event is secure.
It has been agreed with all stakeholders to maintain a clear and open dialogue throughout the event.
The second practice was delayed by 15 minutes as team bosses and drivers were called to a meeting with F1 president Stefano Domenicali to discuss the incident at the oil facility.
A second meeting began after second practice and continued into the early hours as senior figures came and went.
Many drivers had concerns about the safety of the event after the attack.
They were convinced to go ahead and race after being given more information.
The potential impact on personnel and freight leaving the country was one of the considerations that was considered by the BBC.
More to come.
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