Aston Martin sponsor hit by Riyadh attack amid fears over F1 races

An office building belonging to Saudi Aramco, a title sponsor of the Aston Martin F1 team, was damaged in Riyadh on Sunday by falling debris following an attempted attack, the Saudi Ministry of Energy has reported.

Located in the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), the Saudi capital's main business and financial hub, the Aramco Tower sustained damage to windows on several floors, Reuters journalists at the scene reported. The tower is one of the tallest buildings in the district.

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Earlier on Sunday, loud explosions were heard across Riyadh after Saudi civil defence authorities issued an early warning over a potential security threat in the region. Alerts were also issued across several areas of the Eastern Province, including Dhahran, home to Saudi Aramco's headquarters. Authorities later confirmed that the threat had passed and lifted the warnings.

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Missiles intercepted over Riyadh

The damage to the Aramco building was reported shortly after Saudi Arabia-led coalition forces announced that they had intercepted two missiles allegedly launched from Yemen by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels towards Riyadh.

Later on Sunday, the coalition confirmed that two cruise missiles had been intercepted and destroyed, one over the capital and the other in the southern part of the kingdom.

Implications for the F1 calendar

The incident is particularly noteworthy given the remaining races on the 2026 F1 calendar - with the season due to finish with Grands Prix in Qatar on November 29 and Abu Dhabi on December 6.

At this stage F1 is still planning to go ahead with the races.

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