F1 back in Bahrain
June 3, 2011
The Bahrain Grand Prix was reinstated by world motorsport governing body FIA on Friday. The race, originally scheduled for March 13 but cancelled due to violent pro-democracy protests in the country, is now slated to take place on October 30. The rescheduled Bahrain race will displace the inaugural Indian Grand Prix to a later date, possibly December 11. India would thus become the last race of the 2011 season.
"After considering all the factors and taking into consideration all stakeholders' concerns, the WMSC (world motor sport council) unanimously agreed to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix in the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship," an FIA statement released at its WMSC meeting said. "The WMSC feels that reinstating the Grand Prix is a means of helping to unite the people as the country looks to move forward."
The FIA said it had dispatched Vice President Carlos Gracia to Bahrain on May 31. He talked with the Ministries of the Interior, Culture and Tourism, with the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Bahrain International Circuit, "as well as other national and international organizations inculding Mr. Tariq Al Saffar at the National Institute of Human Rights."
The decision remains controversial, despite the recent lifting of a state of emergency in Bahrain, with human rights campaigners and present and former drivers saying the race should not go on.
"When people in a country are being hurt, the issues are bigger than sport. Let's hope the right decision is made," Australian Red Bull driver Mark Webber said on Twitter on Thursday, under his username @AussieGrit. 1996 world champion Damon Hill, now the president of the British Racing Drivers' Club, has also spoken out against the decision.
Conflicts of interest
The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) had also expressed concern about the decision, but not because of human rights or safety questions in Bahrain. Several team bosses had expressed their unwillingness to race in India on December 11 - this provisional date would mark the latest end to an F1 season since 1963 - due to the extra strain that would put on their staff.
"That decision is likely to be discussed internally within FOTA, and a more detailed joint position may be defined after those discussions have taken place," FOTA said in a statement.
The FOTA chairman, Martin Whitmarsh, is walking a tightrope. Many of the teams are believed to oppose going to Bahrain, but the principal shareholder in Whitmarsh's Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team is the Mutmalakat Holding Company, which puts the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, at the top of its list of directors.
Race circuits, as well as local or national governments pay vast sums of money to Formula One in order to secure a Grand Prix. These individual contracts stipulate that any fees paid can not be publicly disclosed, but the broad consensus is that Bahrain is one of the larger financial contributors, paying an estimated $40 million in order to host the 2011 race. An undisclosed proportion of the fees recouped by FOM is redistributed among the teams each year on a performance-related basis.
Good for the country?
"As a country we have faced a difficult time, but stability has returned; with businesses operating close to normal, the State of National Safety lifted and countries removing travel restrictions," Bahrain International Circuit head Zayed R Alzayani told the Reuters news agency. "Importantly, [the race] will also offer a significant boost to the economy. The Grand Prix attracts 100,000 visitors, supports 3,000 jobs and generates around $500 million of economic benefit."
Bahrain's main opposition group Wefaq had earlier said it supported reinstating the race on the basis of the political and economic gains for the country. However, the global campaigning organization Avvaz secured 320,000 signatures for its petition campaigning to keep the race off the calendar.
"Money has trumped human rights and good judgement, so now F1, plus Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, and every other team will be directly linked with a bloody crackdown that's ruined the lives of hundreds of innocent people," Avvaz's Alex Wilks said after the FIA announcement.
The FIA's world motorsport council also announced a string of other changes at its June 3 meeting, including a provisional calendar for the 2012 Formula One season, and some clarifications to rule and terminology changes in 2013.
Author: Mark Hallam (dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Matt Hermann