Ecclestone: Teams 'happy' to return to Bahrain

[Supersleeper]

Call me paranoid but Webber would not have said that without RBR's blessing....

Red Bull always say "we let our athletes do the talking". Seems to be the case in this instance as well.

Yes - they're odd in that regard. 

[blacknwhite]

Well the whole circus floats on the money of the sponsors so it will be interesting to see if the sponsors of the teams wish to be associated with endorsing the regime to keep Bernie happy!
Never thought I would agree with Mosely !

[Supersleeper]

Never thought I would agree with Mosely !

I've never seen so many posts in the one day saying the same thing. 

[Mothers Worry]

Max who?

[bpratt]

It just seems to be ridiculous that all stops have been pulled out to force the holding of the Bahrain GP in 2011... they've moved the Indian GP to December, so there will be different weather patterns for that race, and likewise to Bahrain.

I can't understand that since Bahrain is now going ahead more than 6 months after it's scheduled date, in other words it is less than 6 months to go until its 2012 start, then why couldn't they have simply just let it go until 2012 ?

It'll be interesting to see if Bahrain GP 2011 will actually happen with a full field.... does FOTA have the balls to take a stand and stick with it ?

[Mothers Worry]

Bahrain decision must be reversed - Mosley

From thef1times.com:

Bahrain decision must be reversed - Mosley

Sunday 05th June 2011   

Former FIA president Max Mosley has condemned the decision to return to Bahrain on October 30th.

The 71-year-old says the decision must be reversed immediately or it will cost the sport dearly.

In his column for the Telegraph newspaper, he likened the reinstatement of the race to Formula 1 becoming a puppet of the government to improve its image on the world stage, attempting to wash over and forget the recent controversy in the country.

"Surely the line has to be drawn when a sporting event is not mere entertainment in a less-than-perfect country, but is being used by an oppressive regime to camouflage its actions," he said.

"If a sport accepts this role, it becomes a tool of government. If Formula One allows itself to be used in this way in Bahrain, it will share the regime's guilt as surely as if it went out and helped brutalise unarmed protesters.

"The Bahrain government wants to clean up its image. That's where the Grand Prix comes in. By running the race they hope to show the world the troubles were just a small, temporary difficulty and everything is now back to normal," he added.

"By agreeing to race there, Formula One becomes complicit in what has happened. It becomes one of the Bahrain government's instruments of repression. The decision to hold the race is a mistake which will not be forgotten and, if not reversed, will eventually cost Formula One dear."

Whilst the FIA shows no signs of reversing the decision, an online petition which has exceeded 400,000 signatories, calling for Red Bull to boycott the event, could put pressure on the teams and sponsors to call it off, which would then force the FIA's hand.

Emphasis added. Wow Max; strong words............ but you make a good point about the future of the sport.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Activist warns 'day of rage' planned for race

From thef1times.com:

Activist warns 'day of rage' planned for race

Monday 06th June 2011   

The return of Formula 1 to Bahrain in late October will be marked with further civil unrest and protests, according to a leading human rights activist.

The FIA's decision to reinstate the race came as a surprise to many, including the teams who made it clear they didn't want to return on ethical and logistical grounds.

The people of Bahrain also showed strong resistance against its return. A further warning has been issued that the when the F1 circus roles into the city, it will be marked by a 'day of rage'.

"We have buried two bodies today who were victims of the government oppression," said Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.

"It is a very sad moment to hear that Grand Prix feels that their benefits and their interests are more important than the human rights of people in this region.

"It’s very upsetting and the people are very upset and already they have called a day of that racing as a Day of Rage where you come out everywhere and in every city of Bahrain to show anger towards the Bahrain government, what the Bahrain regime is doing towards their own people."

Many have called for the decision to be overturned with the latest figure to weigh in on the debate, the UK's Minister of Sport, Hugh Robertson, warning that the sport will have a 'disaster' on its hands if it goes ahead.

"You cannot have a situation where politics overtakes sport," he told the Telegraph. "If that happens, you have a disaster on your hands.

"You can understand why opposition groups might want the race to go ahead if they are planning protests around it and this is a danger."

The teams are meeting later this month discuss the matter and will likely be pushing the FIA to reverse their so called unanimous decision, in which all members of the WMSC voted for the race to be reinstated - though many believe that not to be true as both team principals for Ferrari and Force India, Stefano Domenicali and Vijay Mallya respectively, are voting members and are said to be against the race.

Emphasis added.

It ain't over.

[Jiji_the_cat]

i doubt it will go ahead. but in all honesty the key here is the big teams, mainly Mclaren. Bahrian owns part of the team. Now they own Torro Rosso, and they also part own more F1 assetts.

So some of the F1 teams and parties wont say anything because of ownership and investment issues. Bernie wont cancel it because it means he will lose money, FOTA wont cancel it because of contractual agreements and money, FIA wont cancel it because of compensation it will have to pay. Bahrain wont cancel it to save face and money.

Its one big stale mate that can only be fixed by one thing, and one thing only. Government travel advisory. If the situation worsens in the country and the governments give a warning on travelling to the region, then the race would be cancelled and everyone saves face and money.

[bpratt]

Its one big stalemate that can only be fixed by one thing, and one thing only. Government travel advisory. If the situation worsens in the country and the governments give a warning on travelling to the region, then the race would be cancelled and everyone saves face and money.

Just wondering if this is all a bit of a smokescreen to hide the delays in the new Indian GP ??
http://www.australianmotorsportforums.com.au/forum/index.php/topic,3707.msg77572.html#msg77572


Moving the Indian GP back until December, supposedly to allow the staging of the Bahrain GP, which might be too risky for foriegners to visit, and hence a 'travel advisory' that'll cancel it.... in the meantime no one pays attention to a track that looks very likely not to be finished until November at least !

[Jiji_the_cat]

i love a good conspiracy theory bpratt. However i think the indiantrack will be ready on time,  but it will be like Korea (i think it was korea) Where the track is ready but the surrounding architecture etc has not been finished.

[blacknwhite]

Seems Bernie has had a rethink
Source

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/8560481/Bernie-Ecclestone-urges-rethink-on-Bahrain-Grand-Prix-after-human-rights-group-condemns-FIA-report.html

In a dramatic about-turn, Bernie Ecclestone was last night trying to reverse the governing body’s decision over the Bahrain Grand Prix.

About-turn: Bernie Ecclestone wants a re-vote over Bahrain GP Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Tom Cary, F1 Correspondent in Paris6:00AM BST 07 Jun 201111 Comments
Formula One's chief executive was part of the World Motor Sport Council which passed a 'unanimous' vote last Friday to reschedule the race for Oct 30, pushing the Indian Grand Prix back to an unspecified date in December, but The Daily Telegraph understands that the 80 year-old has had a change of heart and written to Formula One's 12 teams urging them to express their discontent and demand a re-vote.
That will have come as a surprise to FIA president Jean Todt who spent yesterday conducting a PR offensive in Paris, claiming that everything in Bahrain was "back to normal" and defending the decision to reinstate the race.
Todt’s argument backfired somewhat when the report on which the WMSC's vote was based was dismissed as "blinkered" by a human rights group who said the member who compiled it only consulted with persons and organisations sympathetic to Bahrain's ruling Al Khalifa family.

[Mothers Worry]

 

[Oldtony]

If we can arrange for video of someone kicking a cow to be released from Bahrain we could get the event banned forever

[Jiji_the_cat]

wow... makes jean todt look like a dick.

Good to see a human rights group has jumped in, and shown the public the biases of the WMSC.

I was thinking about this last night a little, and it seems odd to me that F1 did not race in South Africa for many years, partly because of apartied. why then do we race at Bahrain? isn't the division there similar to apartied?

I wonder if it the biases in that country were colour based, black and white, rather than Arabic tribal based, the world may actually condemn it, of course they do have oil, which is a major reason the world tolerates it.

[Bumble1290]

I was thinking about this last night a little, and it seems odd to me that F1 did not race in South Africa for many years, partly because of apartied. why then do we race at Bahrain? isn't the division there similar to apartied?

This then begs another question, why do they race in China, there human rights record isn't exactly squeeky clean either.

[Mothers Worry]

FOTA don't want to visit Bahrain in 2011

From thef1times.com:

FOTA don't want to visit Bahrain in 2011

Tuesday 07th June 2011   

The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA), have formally requested that the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix be cancelled completely.

The association has confirmed today that they have written a letter to the FIA, the governing body, requesting the inaugural Indian GP be put back to its original October 30th slot, whilst the Bahrain GP be cancelled on logistical grounds.

Talks have been taking place between the FIA, FOTA, BIC and Bernie Ecclestone for the past 48 hours. Following the discussions, the latter changed his tune on Tuesday, calling for a re-vote.

"We listened to that report from the FIA that was saying there were no problems at all in Bahrain," Ecclestone told the Times. "But that is not what I am hearing and I think we can see that we need to be careful.

"[It's] better that we move Bahrain to the end of the season."

Jean Todt also admitted the FIA would continue to monitor the situation in Bahrain and hinted that the decision could be reversed.

"If we have clear evidence that there is a risky situation this will obviously be taken into consideration," he told the BBC.

It's reported that FOTA aren't against the race on ethical grounds, rather the logistical problems arising from a calendar which extends into December.

Emphasis added.

Well; "a risky situation" could be any number of things, I suppose.   

The plot thickens; eh, Bernie?

[WilliamsF1]

Quoted from Autosport

Bahrain gives up on 2011 race
Bahrain Grand Prix organisers have now given up on their hopes of holding a Formula 1 race this year, leaving the way open for India to have its October 30 date reinstated.

After a dramatic six days since last Friday's decision by the FIA to slot the Bahrain GP back in the calendar and push India to December 11, chiefs at the Sakhir circuit acknowledged on Thursday night that the race was now definitely off.

Earlier in the day FIA president Jean Todt said he had asked Bernie Ecclestone to resubmit a calendar in the wake of complaints from teams about the logistical problems of racing in Bahrain and extending the season into December.

With that decision leaving the way open for Ecclestone to remove Bahrain from the calendar, chiefs from the Gulf island state acknowledged that there was no chance of the race taking place this year.

Bahrain International Circuit chairman Zayed R Alzayani said that, with teams unhappy about the calendar reshuffle, there was little point in pushing for an event that would lead to problems for F1's competitors.

"Whilst Bahrain would have been delighted to see the grand prix progress on October 30th in-line with the World Motor Sport Council's decision, it has been made clear that this fixture cannot progress and we fully respect that decision," he said in a statement.

"Bahrain has always sought to play a positive role in the continued development of Formula 1, from pioneering F1 racing in the Middle East, to helping other countries in facilitating their own races in new territories, as well as providing our own unique experience and universal welcome to grand prix supporters."

He added: "Bahrain has absolutely no desire to see a race which would further extend the calendar season [and] detract from the enjoyment of F1 for either drivers, teams or supporters. We want our role in Formula 1 to continue to be as positive and constructive as it has always been, therefore, in the best interest of the sport, we will not pursue the rescheduling of a race this season.

"We look forward to welcoming teams, their drivers and supporters back to Bahrain next year and would like to extend our deepest gratitude to our supporters, including staff, volunteers, sponsors, private businesses and the general public, for whom I know this year's decision will be a disappointment.

"We would also especially like to thank the FIA, FOM, the Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF) and the teams for all support and understanding they have extended to us at this time."

It is not clear when the official revisions to the calendar will now be made, but with India set to be return to its October 30 date, the 2011 season will now finish in Brazil on November 27.

Good to hear common sense prevailed

[Mothers Worry]

Good to hear common sense prevailed

+1

[Oldtony]

Oh Dear!
What an exersise in grubby politics and weasel words.
First Bernie checks his wallet and calls his Sheik mates to see if he could get it back on and get his payment.
They say Bernie maaaaate, be glad to have you. No probems here, thats cars backfiring you can hear in the background.
OK, say's Bernie, i'll get Jean your partner in the F2 team to send out someone to check it out, give him the guided tour.
Jean picks out a bloke who owes him a favour, who can't speak Arabic to understand the protesters, and who can't speak English to under5stand the Press.
Senor Garcia has a nice trip to Mannama and comes back with a glowing report to the FIA who fall in behind Bernie and Jean and put it on.
Great! Except that the crap is hitting the fan amongst the world media, the sponsors, the human rights blogs and a few people in the teams who occaisionaly think about the world outside F1.
Even Bernie starts to feel the pressure, and to make things worse the teams discover it will affect their holiday bookings. Jean realises he is being made to look like a patsy but McLaren, Ferrari and Williams don't want to offend their Gulf backers.
Oh well back to the rulebook and shake the dust off the Concorde agreement and we find tha article 66 gives us an escape clause.
The Sheiks enter into the spirit of things and say we wouldn't want to spoil the teams holidays so we will gracefully withdraw.
Oh, and by the way, that's cars backfiring you hear in the background.

[vicfrog]

  :Clap:sensational ot.i don't no your vocation but although  it is not  wasted here ,the world surely is an oyster to harvest for a man of such wisdom

[Mothers Worry]

Bahrain getting set for 2012 race

From thef1times:

Bahrain getting set for 2012 race

Thursday 23rd June 2011    

After much confusion over their fate for this season, officials at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) have said that they are getting set for 2012 and are promising the event will be a bigger success than all previous races in Bahrain.

Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Chief Executive of BIC, has insisted that because of this years race being cancelled, he is expecting more support than ever come 2012.

"We are even thinking of expanding and building more grandstands," he told the Gulf Daily News.

Plans to secure acts and activities for the March 11th date are well under-way, and Shaikh Salman has said, "We have put a plan together to see what can come back, a lot of these acts had been booked so we are trying to see financially if there is a way of keeping them booked until March, if not we will look for something similar."

The CEO went on to explain that it was an "internal battle" between the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone, with fuel from international media, that caused the revised October date for Bahrain's 2011 race to be cancelled.

"We are looking forward to having a very successful race in 2012.  It was very disappointing not to have it [in 2011] but I'm optimistic that for every delay we can do a better job next year."

It is in Bahrain's best interest to host an F1 race as it has been reported that the direct financial benefit to the country could be as much as $134.19m (£84million), with the indirect benefit from tourism expected to be as much as $500m (£312million).