Bahrain Race Won't Go Ahead (Possibly)

After the FIA announcement last Friday it appears that they forgot an important point about moving the Bahrain Grand Prix. This would be that the rules require unanimous agreement from from all competitors in order to change the championship calendar. This agreement does not seem to be something the teams want to give.

Photo courtesy of emifaulk

FOTA (the Formula One Teams Association) has written to the FIA telling them that they object to moving the race on purely logistical grounds. They apparently claim that this would essentially mean that their staff would get no break between the end of this season and the start of the next. An opinion which was mentioned before the FIA announced the reinstatement of the race. It is in some ways disappointing that there is no mention of the political reasons to call off the race. Formula 1 is a pragmatic business, however, and these are solid grounds for not holding the event without needing to bring up the difficulties of international politics.

Bernie appears to have forgotten his previous enthusiasm for going back to Bahrain and is now saying that the region is not as stable as the authorities are claiming. He is apparently now trying to get the FIA to overturn their decision by calling for the race to be moved to the end of the season to allow more time for the situation to be assessed.

The confusion is no doubt already costing some people money as travel plans may or may not need to be changed. The one thing that is needed is a definite decision one way or the other. At the moment it would appear that the teams have the deciding vote and they do not want it to happen. Presumably the organisers of the Indian Grand Prix will be pleased with the way things appear to be turning out, trying to organise the country's first F1 race must be challenge enough without being unsure as to when, or indeed if, it will take place.

Bahrain Race Will Go Ahead

The FIA have today decided that the Bahrain Grand Prix will now be held on the 30th of October. The race was originally scheduled to be the first race of the year but was cancelled due to civil unrest which started before the planned date. A decision was going to be made earlier in the year as to whether the race would be run but the deadline was extended until today.

The chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit said, "as a country we have faced a difficult time, but stability has returned." Not everyone agrees though. A state of emergency was lifted on Wednesday but there are reports of police using rubber bullets and tear gas to suppress protests today. Indeed some think that the state of emergency has been lifted, at least partly, in order to allow the race to go ahead.

The decision to reinstate the race is controversial. Mark Webber said, "When people in a country are being hurt, the issues are bigger than the sport." There is an online petition calling on the teams to withdraw from the race which already has over 350,000 signatures. Max Mosley suggests that sponsors will not be happy to be associated with the events in Bahrain, and the teams themselves are not keen on extending the season into December. This will be to accommodate the Indian Grand Prix which was to have been held in October.

The Formula 1 Teams Association may still not agree to moving the Indian race when they meet to discuss the FIA decision. It seems that returning to Bahrain may not be the best decision for Formula 1. It could be seen as condoning regime which has used highly questionable methods to repress protests.

Bahrain Deadline Extended

In a major surprise the FIA has announced that the deadline for a decision on the running of the Bahrain Grand Prix has been extended. The date has now been set for June 3rd, which is what Bernie Ecclestone heavily hinted at not so long ago.

If the human rights abuses that the Bahrain government is being accused of are true, it will reflect badly on Formula 1 if the race were to go ahead. Some real, visible change in the situation should occur before the event can continue with everyones full support.