Bahrain Grand Prix reinstated on 2011 F1 calendar

2011 Bahrain Grand Prix

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Start, Bahrain Grand Prix, 2010

The FIA World Motor Sport Council has reinstated the Bahrain Grand Prix to the 2011 F1 calendar.

The race will be held on the weekend of the 28-30th October when the Indian Grand Prix was originally slated to take place.

That race is now expected to take place at the end of the season, though it remains to be seen exactly when.

The earliest date it could occupy is December 2nd-4th, one week after the Brazilian Grand Prix. However, F1 teams have expressed reservations about extending the season.

According to an FIA statement:

Following a fact-finding mission undertaken at the request of FIA President Jean Todt, FIA Vice President Carlos Gracia visited Bahrain on 31 May 2011 to assess the situation in the country.

Meetings were conducted with the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Bahrain Motor Federation and Bahrain International Circuit, as well as other national and international organisations including Mr. Tariq Al Saffar at the National Institute of Human Rights. It should be noted that the recent announcement by the King of Bahrain has established a political dialogue and reconciliation process.

After considering all the factors and taking into consideration all stakeholders’ concerns, the WMSC unanimously agreed to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix in the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship.

This decision reflects the spirit of reconciliation in Bahrain, which is evident from the strong support the race receives from the Government and all major parties in Bahrain, including the largest opposition group, all of whom endorse the Formula One Grand Prix and motor sport in the country.

The WMSC feels that reinstating the Grand Prix is a means of helping to unite people as the country looks to move forward, and also recognises the commitment made by the Formula One teams, their employees and families, and personnel associated with the Championship including the local team of volunteers who are so vital to the event.

The Bahrain Grand Prix will take place on 30 October, replacing the Indian Grand Prix, which will now become the final round of the 2011 Championship, combined with the FIA Annual General Assembly and Prize-Giving Gala.

The race organisers issued the following statement:

The head of the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) today welcomed the decision of the FIA (Federation Internationale de L’Automobile) World Motor Sport Council to reintroduce the Bahrain Grand Prix to the 2011 calendar.

The decision, announced by the FIA after the Council’s meeting in Barcelona, follows a FIA delegation visit to Bahrain to assess the situation in country this week.

Zayed R. Alzayani, Chairman of the BIC, said: “This is welcome news for all of Bahrain. 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.

“Collectively, we are in the process of addressing issues of national and international concern, and learning lessons from the recent past. By the time the Grand Prix arrives we will be able to remind the world about Bahrain at its best.

“The Bahrain Grand Prix has always been a source of national pride and it is an event than transcends politics. Not only does it receive strong support from the Government, but also from all major parties in Bahrain, including our largest opposition group, Al Wefaq, who yesterday endorsed both the BIC and motor racing in Bahrain.

“Importantly, it will also offer a significant boost to the economy. The Grand Prix attracts 100,000 visitors, supports 3,000 jobs and generates around $500m of economic benefit. Its positive effect will be felt throughout the country.

“On behalf of Bahrain, I would like to thank Bernie Ecclestone, Jean Todt and the FIA and the rest of the motorsport community for the support and understanding they have extended to us this year.”

Bahrain is a pioneer of motorsport in the region and the rescheduled Grand Prix will be the 8th hosted by the Kingdom since its inaugural race in 2004.

The confirmation the race will take place restores the calendar to its original 20-race length, the largest it has ever been.

Update: A muted reaction from Red Bull to the news:

“Red Bull Racing has acknowledged the FIA World Motor Sport Council’s decision to go ahead with the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix.

“We will go through the correct channels and discuss this decision within the appropriate forum with the other F1 teams and our fellow FOTA members.”

2011 Bahrain Grand Prix

    Image © Red Bull/Getty images

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    Keith Collantine
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    472 comments on “Bahrain Grand Prix reinstated on 2011 F1 calendar”

    1. *groan*

      1. Couldn’t have said it better Homer.

        This will be the first race in decades I will miss on purpose.

        1. With any luck the championship will be all finished so have the teams won’t bother either

        2. Your loss…

          1. Really? If it was the Canadian GP then maybe it would be his loss, but missing out on a dull race isn’t necessarily a bad thing

        3. I know, let’s have an F1 race at Syria International Raceway or the Tripoli street circuit while we’re at it -.-

          1. Mind you, the Tripoli street circuit was really something back in the day. A proper circuit.

            1. its return has been long overdue

        4. Same here. I really hope the teams boycott this pathetic decision to go there. Idiocy.

        5. me too

        6. We will not miss you in Bahrain I am sure the race will be a huge success without both of you.

      2. To all those disagreeing, haven’t you thought what the people of Bahrain want? Aren’t you supporting us after all? Haven’t you thought that they might want to move on and reunite? We are tired of what we went through, we are tired of the West thinking that Bahrainis who are pro-govt did not suffer, and it was only the protesters that did. We were forced into this crisis, the protesters did not take our consent, we were thrown into the midst of chaos and anarchy with no choice. We woke up one day seeing our lovely peaceful island disrupted and torn because of ideologies that are not part of the Bahraini psyche. Nobody took our opinion, and when they did, we agreed with their demands, but simply did not agree with their abusive ways of going about them. We say no to sectarianism, we say no to illegal chaotic protesting, and say yes to reforms, dialogue, and justice.

        It’s easy to judge sitting in the other side of the world basing your judgement on what you see and read, but were you here to experience it? Live it? Be terrorized by it? And yet we are still pushing for unity and reconciliation after feeling that people who have committed the brutal crimes or murdering, injuring and conspiring against their own country. We know the difference between protesting and a war, and we were closer to war than simple protesting.

        Now every one has calmed down thank God. The opposition have calmed down and agreed to join dialogue, and they also agree that we need to rebuild what we have damaged help the economy. They have lent their support to the Bahrain GP! So if they people of Bahrain and the opposition all agree on wanting F1 back – why are people outside of Bahrain making this hard on us?

        We are trying to unite here people! It is already hard as it is, stop making it harder, and for once just wish us well!
        If the GP happens successfully it will be proof that Bahrain has overcome this difficult period, let us have that success story. Let Bahrain work out it’s own problems, Let us be

        1. I truly sympathize with True F1 Fanatics in Bahrain….

          But when you saw “We” you mean “You” and when you say “Bahrain” you tend to talk about the “Pro-government supporters.”

          The Bahrain government is trying to shut out all indications that it is still committing severe human rights abuses. Fortunately, enough trickles through that the reality can’t be hidden.

        2. “Let us be”

          The whole world knows that Bahrain has arrested, interrogated and abused schoolgirls and that it has also set out on a revenge campaign against medical professionals who treated protesters. So it is using fear and terror to subjugate its unhappy population (who have no representation). That has a name and when the circus F1 lands in Bahrain it will be legitimising Bahrain’s use of terror to repress its people.

        3. LAK please keep us updated on all the reforms as they take place (in practice not theory). Bahrain is far from the worst dictatorship (or absolute Monarchy) but arresting,torturing,beating and shooting the disadvantaged because they complain is not considered civilised, even the Americans have stopped doing it, and we don’t want to be complicit in it.

          1. I’ve just read an article in the economist (a newspaper I trust to be factual correct) about the political situation in Bahrain and it does not make good reading.
            http://www.economist.com/node/18775470

        4. @LAK

          The reason is not only all of the above, but more importantly, the circuit is rubbish and the races are boring.

          Id rather see a race around the M25 in rush hour.

      3. Nothing I can say apart from: Wrong decision.

    2. I believe this is the right decision. You can’t not go to make a statement, or for that matter go to make a statement. You can only go to stage a race if it’s deemed safe to do so, and it looks like that’s what we’ll have. Pleased. Perhaps now we can focus on the racing and nothing else!!

      1. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 14:33

        Pleased? Pleased that the government can now continue its human rights abuses against the opposition? Please that a quarter of the staff at the Bahrain Ineternational Circuit were fired, arrested, and beaten?

        Pleased?

      2. It is impossible to not make a statement in this situation, going or not going will make one whether you want to or not. I believe this is the wrong statement.

        1. Spot on.

        2. One of the reasons I find this decision so rediculous is that, if they hadn’t gone, it woulkdn’t have even of had to be making a statement. It would have been easy to say no we’re not going because we can’t fit it in, no statement made or anything. But instead they go to extreme lengths, doing anything they can to make the race happen. That is one hell of a statement!

          1. Exactly right Jake. Just say “Bahrain’s spot was earlier in the year, everything else is locked in, sorry”, done and dusted.

      3. Well, yeah. Bahrain officials have deemed it safe.

        But will it be safe? And at wat cost in further oppression.

      4. So you’re saying that if there’s a place safe to race, no matter what the country is doing in terms of human rights and everything, you should go ahead and hold the race?

        That’s just lame. F1 came to Argentina when the social situation was at its worst. We had the Dirty War and the Grand Prix at the same time… but that’s alright, because it was “SAFE” to held the race.

        1. my first grand prix was the 1986 Hungarian GP. eventhough our country (Czech Republic) was invaded by the red army and remained there until 1989 when communism fell in Prague. i was still happy that F1 decided to hold the race. Despite the fact that people were oppressed, imprisioned and despite political situation. the average F1 fan behind the iron curtain was happy that they could see a live F1 race.

          you should first ask the local people if they want the race to happen before deciding for them. the fact that they are mistreated and misreoresented in the government does not mean they dont want the race to happen. its easy for you to take the politically correct view on it though.

          1. I think they want the race.becoz as i live here,there was astand at every mall and they said that who ever wanted the race back had to come and sign on a paper or board.so far 15,000 have signed it and counting………

            1. Was there a stand asking who did NOT want the race because it gives support to the government?

              Don’t forget, F1 is not going back because the fans want it, it is going back because the Bahrain government is paying for it.

        2. That’s exactly what I’m saying, otherwise you’d quickly find there wouldn’t be many races on the calender at all. I don’t watch F1 to make political statements, I watch it because I love racing.

      5. I disagree. Bahrain had a a date. It missed it.

        Now its safe, we can go back next year.

        Strip out all the politics, and thats what youre left with. Going back next year. Its only fair, that if you can host the race when scheduled, then you do. If you dont, tough luck, heres your race fee back, well see you next year.

        1. For all the political arguments, this is surely the best response.

          Imagine if Silverstone was cancelled due to a sever weather event. Would they force it back in later in the year when the sun came out again? I think not.

          1. I suppose the closest analogue to that would be the 1985 Belgian GP at Spa, which was postponed after the track broke up and put on later in the year. But would the same happen today?

            It’s debatable whether civil unrest in the host country really falls into the same category, though.

    3. MVEilenstein
      3rd June 2011, 14:31

      Shame on the FIA, shame on Bahrain.

      I will not watch this race in any manner at all.

      1. Completely agree. The teams/drivers should take a stand and refuse to race… I certainly won’t be watching this one.

      2. First and foremost as an ardentF1 fanatic; i’m so elated the Bahrain GP has been restated!
        Secondly, i’m not in the business of worrying about other country’s internal affairs! Thats one damn reason while we’re (US)in this deficit – financing wars that are not sustainable and bringing home cuts that strain every tax payer!
        Thirdly, to all those that care otherwise; i respect your views and choices!
        JUST PUT YOUR TELLY’S OFF COME OCT 28th THROUGH 30th!!

        1. MVEilenstein
          3rd June 2011, 16:21

          JUST PUT YOUR TELLY’S OFF COME OCT 28th THROUGH 30th!!

          Gladly.

          1. I wonder how many will. Its a tempting offer

            1. I will be. And I suspect Ned will. I hope others do as well.

          2. Yeah, everyone with morals make sure you boycott this one !

          3. Ditto

        2. I always thought you guys started those wars to get a. access to ressources and/or b. to use and be able to buy new weapons as they get the parties budget and the economy fired up with over 20% of spending!

        3. That’s right, turn a blind eye to fellow human beings suffering….you’re a wonderful person.

      3. +1

        Horrendous decision. People do realize Formula 1 isn’t ‘above’ politics in this case, right? Political repression of protesters, including circuit staff, has been used to ensure the race can go ahead and various people can make money. The idea that the race can anyway support the people of Bahrain is self-serving BS. Really disgusted by this.

    4. Let’s see what (if anything) the drivers have to say about it.

      1. they can do nothing about it

        Quote from Guardian :

        The Formula 1 teams are united in their opposition to the reinstatement of the Bahrain Grand Prix but concede that they would be legally obliged to attend should the World Motor Sport Council give the race the green light.

        1. Notice it uses the word “teams” not “drivers”.

          1. Bigbadderboom
            3rd June 2011, 14:53

            I think the sponsors reaction will be more relevant, their images are everything and whilst I, as any sane human being, would always support any group of peoples basic human rights, i’m not sure that not racing there would do that. But the sponsors and their image protection, takes sensativity to new levels. As Mad Max has already said, we should wait to see how many are removed from livaries.

          2. Prehaps all the drivers will get ill that week and be of sick.

        2. I did literally mean I wondered what the drivers would ‘say’ about it, not do to stop it.

        3. If my memory serves me correctly.. the teams were under contract to race the 1985 South African GP, but that did’nt prevent Ligier and Renault for boycotting it (kudos to them).

          If Mclaren, Ferrari or Red Bull.. even Renault or Sauber were to boycott it, the punishment for breaching contract wouldn’t be too large (just my opinion, i have no idea of the specifics of the contracts). Maybe a large fine? Even so, I as a team principal would rather have a spine, and a moral compass, than take the easy way out and blame a contract..

          Ligier and Renault have done it before.. It can be done again

          1. They will win more fans and respect that way than if they win the race

        4. That’s just rubbish though. If FOTA said we ain’t going that would be it.

          To all the teams I say Don’t Go.

          To everyone who thinks this is the wrong decision get on Twitter and Facebook and let the teams know you think it’s wrong.

          1. This is arguably FOTAs biggest test, will they stand utd or will the cave in and go a head and attend knowing its not what they really want to do.

      2. Expect them to be generally “happy that things have improved and looking forward to the race” come the Canadian GP press conference.

        1. That was the one slight disappointment from Buemi’s The Flying Lap appearance for me, that he already said that.

          1. Speed Damon
            3rd June 2011, 15:00

            What’s happening to the Indian Grand Prix then, Keith?

            1. Moved to december I think

            2. I guess Bernie will now hardball the Teams about not letting down the poor Indians who through no fault of their own ended up with a december spot.

              Only discussion will be about weather they can make it on the 4th or need an extra week to get it on the 11th December weekend.

            3. I think India will be the final race.

    5. The championship could well be decided by then, even if that’s not the case, I won’t be watching.

    6. So let’s see: the teams don’t want to go for various reasons, most importantly due to holidays and the political situation. The drivers don’t want to go (see Mark Webber’s recent tweets and who’s re-tweeted them … Jenson Button among others).

      But Bernie want’s to go … so they shall. Jeez :(

      1. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 14:39

        I suspect (and fear) most teams will go. Hypocrites, the lot.

        1. They are obligated to go, they would face tremendous penalties if they don’t go.

          1. I wonder what the penalties would be if they did a repeat of Indy 2005 …

            1. Bigbadderboom
              3rd June 2011, 16:31

              Completely different issue.

            2. They still attended the race for Indy, they took to the warm up lap, and DNS. They withdrew for safety issues, which the FIA were made aware of. In this case, the FIA have cleared the race as ‘safe’

    7. If the British GP had been postponed and then around a quarter of its employees arrested I don’t think there is a chance in hell that it would be reinstated, but then there isn’t a lot of nice government money heading to Bernie from this (and future) British GPs.

      He knows nobody believes his guff about money not being involved, but why should he care? Seems no one is going to do anything about it.

      1. I would rather suspect you are right about that. Guess where the difference is here.

    8. This is not a good thing to do for the teams December? They release there cars end of Jan/Feb and go testing in Feb seems far too long for a season!!!

      1. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Indian GP never happens this season. It has been awfully quiet from india for a while now so I get the feeling that they were struggling to be complete the track.

    9. Jeeezzzzz…

      well i guess only bahrain royal family will fill up the circuit..

      wonder which team will not go there…

      1. Unfortunately the teams are obligated to go.

        1. Not obliged to race though.

          I wonder if any will pull out after the parade lap, or even set a time outside 107% on purpose as a protest.

          1. to be 107% outside of the time, someone would have to set a time…. I would love to see them simply start the race and come into the pits though.

            1. If nobody sets a time because everyone deliberately crashes or beaches themselves on kerbs on their out-laps, then everyone’s outside 107% because there’s no time to be inside 107% of. The teams would have to refuse to do practise as well for the technique to work though.

            2. @Alianora La Canta

              I would have thought that there would be no time to be 107% outside of?

              However either way, would it not be simpler for the teams to just agree to come in to the pits after the first lap?

            3. Kyle (@hammerheadgb)
              3rd June 2011, 16:28

              I’m sure that if no-one else took to the track to set a time in Q1, Hispania would be quite happy to… thus perhaps forcing Virgin’s hand, in turn Team Lotus? Williams? Toro Rosso? Sauber?

              Hispania aren’t part of FOTA, remember… I don’t see them having any qualms about going out to claim the 43 constructors’ points on offer if nobody else wants them.

            4. But Kyle, what is 43 points when all sponsors and fans will know them as the dirty team?

            5. your idea, while seemingly good is flawed.
              Once a car or team fails to qualify within the 107% it is then up to the FIA whether or not to allow them to race. Clearly the FIA would say yes to almost every team if HRT were the only team to set a time haha!

              But basically, by not setting a time under 107% a well established, race winning team will still have to race. fact.

            6. yes, oddly enough I’d also love to see them start then pull in to the pits like indy 2005. would be a strong (and funny) statement.

      2. Jelle van der Meer (@)
        3rd June 2011, 15:10

        I think that is why they put it on the Indian date and not in December.

        If it was the last race and championship decided (as it looks now) teams would be easier to boycot.

        I see the FIA ban teams for racing the Brazilian and Indian grandprix if they boycott the Bahrain race

        This is a pure financial decision nothing else – there is no other reason to go there. Civil rights violations, staff being arrested/beaten – public being surpressed and suddenly all is good for the publicity of F1 – yeah right

        1. If Vettel sews up the championship before then and Red Bull get the WCC as well, they could afford to take the moral high ground and not race.

          Given the way the championship has gone so far, can anybody bet against that not happening?

          1. Vettel needs to be ahead by 100 points or more to win the WDC by Korea. Red Bull needs to be ahead by 172 points or more.

            Vettel is leading by 58 points after 6 rounds – easily on pace to clinch on or before Korea. Red Bull is leading by 61 points – not quite on pace yet to win the WCC by Korea. But even then, they’d have a lead so huge, they can actually afford to miss a race.

      3. Silencer, you will find that like most mass protests, only a very small percentage of the population take part (probably less than 1%).

        The rest of the people just want to get on with their lives.

    10. As a long-time reader of this site, but never actually having contributed, I finally have found something that annoys me sufficiently for me to voice an opinion.

      I am absolutely appalled at this decision. It is the wrong one, and I hope that the drivers and teams find some way to make a stand against it, although I think they’ll find it difficult to do so.

      The only consolation I think we have is that the championship(s) look like they’ll be sewn up long before this travesty of a race occurs, so at least we won’t have to watch it to find out the result.

      1. Im glad that you’ve taken the oppitunity to voice your anger at this with those of us that have shown our dismay both today, and objections in the days leading up to this. Horrible descision by the FIA.

      2. Perhaps the drivers on the podium can “moon” the Royal Box.

    11. fudge this, fudge watching the race this is disgraceful.

    12. So dissapointed with the FIA. This is Such a bad decision.

    13. Yep, definitely won’t be watching this race.

    14. I’m amazed by this decision, even if we were to leave aside all of the moral questions of whether F1 should be racing there I can’t imagine how it will be safe to do so in October. The Foreign Office is still advising against all but essential travel and there are numerous reports of violent clashes between the government and opposition still going on.

      Its highly unlikely that the situation is going to improve dramatically over the summer so even if we ignore the human rights abuses the race should not be going ahead.

      1. Unfortunatley, the FCO have re-issued their advice just this week (coincidence???)

        http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/bahrain

        So now the teams (and their insurance companies) have no recourse to question the safety of travelling to Bahrain.

        I would be interested to know how far the teams can/would go to force their drivers to turn up. I appreciate that there would be financial penalties for the teams not to show up, but is there anything in the Concorde agreement about which drivers actually race the cars?

        1. Given that F1 is a locus of tension in Bahrain, I can envisage another state of emergency being declared closer to the time.

          The regulations state that teams can use up to 4 drivers, so if both current drivers decline to race in Bahrain, teams can replace them provided they’ve not had any injuries or such (force majuere may be invoked otherwise, since despite contracts, the courts cannot force someone to do what they don’t want to do).

          However, the CRB means that drivers contracted to do the whole of this season will also have to do Bahrain or else compensate their teams.

          1. I would certainly expect the race to be used in any discussions about reforms there might be in Bahrain as a method of putting the pressure on.
            Resulting in stalemates and a renewed crackdown when these break down, for lack of agreement on any serious reforms. Making the GP date the focus of a tense situation once again.

            Hard to believe any good can come of this. I hope Bahrain supprises us, but do not have a lot of faith in that.

          2. since despite contracts, the courts cannot force someone to do what they don’t want to do.

            They most certainly can. That is what contracts are for.

            1. Contracts can’t make folk do things they think are morally wrong – teams can sack drivers who refuse to race but no driver can be MADE to drive in Bahrain.

    15. They can hold it, but I don’t have to watch it.

      1. Mr Anderson
        3rd June 2011, 15:34

        I completely agree. I have watched every F1 race on TV for many years, but I have absolutely no intention of watching this one. As most of F1s revenue comes from TV, if nobody watches it, then they won’t go back.

      2. The only thing Ecclestone cares about is his wallet. The only way to hit him is by not watching and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

        (bleep) you FIA, (bleep) you WSMC, (bleep) you Bernie and (bleep) you Bahraini Government. This race is a (bleep) disgrace.

        1. Bahrain will pay him more than we ever will.

          Follow the money. Always follow the money.

    16. I don’t agree with this but this whole time I have been thinking of a dilemma F1 finds itself in.

      If they’d decided to not go…. what happens next year? Why is it unacceptable for them to go in October-November-December 2011 but fine in March 2012? Because I have a hard time accepting that if Bahrain had been left out for this year that people would have felt as strongly about staying away come next year if the country stayed out of the news.

      Again I don’t think they should go there while the country still has issues and I mean for this post to be more a discussion point than anything.

    17. Given the Indians were supposed to be supported by some 400 Bahraini Marshals, they might not have had much of a chance to oppose postponing their event.
      What to do with those concerts planned to go along with it, not to mention the great weather varying between 2-19 degrees in the region in December. Alternatively will they now drop the Indian GP, or just push the teams not to let down India. With FI, HRT, Team Lotus all looking a lot at India it will be a hard choice to let them down.

      I put this down as money and corruption winning over sensibility. Bernie wants money, Todt needs the backing of his middle east vice president.

      An altogether despicable desicion right in line with the normal way of doing things in sports governing bodies. Like the FIFA giving the World Cup to Quater for its great football tradition. And IOC believing China will improve its human rights agenda and not be as corrupt as Salt lake city was.

      Good luck Bahrain in making sure you really do make inways towards those reforms and have a united country there come end of October. Or face a major cock up with possible protests or even attacks on the people visiting.

      1. Couldn’t agree more about money and corruption superseding common sense. I guess the Indian GP is done for this year. I really doubt the weather in December will permit a race to take place out there, and I’m pretty sure a lot of the teams will have objections as well.

        I really do not want to argue about the political aspect of the race in Bahrain. I was really looking forward to the race here in India, but Bernie had to poop on this parade as well.

      2. By October, Bahrain will either have to be a merry wonderland or they’ll have the world’s press looking ever so more closely. Either that or they have to put F1 in an even more splendid isolation than it already is.

        We can however be sure of one thing now. F1 is as prone to politics as every other aspect of life. This is very reminiscent of the Olympics in Beijing as you say. There is no apolitical stance when human rights are in peril at a greater or lesser degree. Forget learning from the past, clearly the world is not as enlightened as one could hope. It’s a shame the 20th century seems to have passed in vain.

        1. sid_prasher (@)
          3rd June 2011, 21:50

          very well said!

      3. Totally agree with you. That smell wafting from this FIA decision certainly reminds one of FIFA.

        I look forward to seeing the upcoming discussions and reforms which have been promised by the governing royal family.

      4. Mark Hitchcock
        3rd June 2011, 15:07

        Regarding money. Surely this is going to cost Bernie, Todt etc, money rather than make them any.

        You’d think they’ll have to compensate India for moving or cancelling their Grand Prix, and the same goes for Brazil who will have paid a premium to have the season finale.

        So even without the obvious lack of morals this decision displays, it also seems to make no sense financially either.

        1. Bernie… compensate …. India?

          Hahahaha!

          Bernie doesn’t do compensation.

    18. They had there slot in March.

      They Missed that slot in March.

      That should of been an end of it, no race for them in 2011, instead of bending over backwards to accommodate them.

      1. I agree but when theres money involved Bernie will do anything.

    19. How many people do you guys expect to attend the race? I expect lower then Turkey, and thats even if they give out free tickets…

      1. Or they force them to attend by use of death threats!

        1. LOL. Anyone not smiling, or having a good time at the race will be imprisoned.

        2. Well, I suppose all the people LAK mentions using the WantBahrainF1GP (or what was it) twitter hashtag could be invited. There will be enough people in Bahrain to pack the circuit, I’d think. But I do not intend on watching it on tv.

    20. Well well. The teams are now legally obliged to the Bahrain GP.

      So lets petition FOTA to withdraw all the regular drivers and forfiet constructors points. I do not wish this event to affect either championship, this is a disgraceful move by the WMSC and Bernie. I sincerly hope that not one person tunes into this Grand Prix either.
      Bernie and Bahrain may have got their race, lets make it an empty race watched by nobody the world over.

    21. Disgusting.

      1. Ned Flanders
        3rd June 2011, 15:27

        Indeed

    22. The teams may be obliged to go but maybe not their sponsors and we don’t have to watch it either.

      1. Is there any chance the drivers could do a ‘USA 2005’, and turn up, do the parade lap then pull into the pits? Does that cover them for whatever contractual obligations they have to FOM and the FIA?

        1. Even better this year, they could not set a time with 107% in Q1 and bingo, not required to race.

          1. Unfortunately that still requires at least one car to set a time….sacrifical HRT anyone?

        2. Yes. They wanted a race. Lets give them what technically passes for a race.

          1. I would love this SO much! Can you imagine the crown prince, he thinks he’s getting his precious F1 race as the teams begin the parade lap only for them to peel off into the pits at the last second with zero cars taking the start! That should wipe the smile off his smug face

    23. I suppose, if we have accepted a Chinese F1 GP without a murmur of protest for the terrible suffering inflicted on anyone who dares to step out of line, by a regime which tolerates no protest whatsoever. We, the F1 world, have little clout when we show such telling inconsistency.

      For all that, this awful decision casts a very dark cloud over anything and everything Ecclestone and Todt try to say to justify their actions.

      There is now a very unpleasant stench wafting through the F1 paddock

      1. There was quite a debate on China a couple of years ago, and in any case there is consistency, in that we complain about F1 going to places where its presence sparks injuries and deaths. As far as I know, nobody has been injured or killed through China having a race. It’s a very narrow morality but a morality it is (and apparently more than the FIA upper brass, Bernie or the circuit organisers can manage).

        1. China’s a different case anyway because hosting or not hosting the GP there makes very little difference to the country. In Bahrain, it is clearly a very important event for them to host.

          1. China isn’t a different case. And if they had been turned down for a GP slot or boycotted for their human rights violations it would have been a great embarrassment to them. I still don’t “accept” the race any more than I accepted South Africa. It’s deplorable that in all the countries around the world F1 can’t manage to avoid those that are the antithesis of the values sport is supposed to engender.

            It is despicable that F1- or the FIA can even consider racing in Bahrain.

    24. From a racing perspective and as a fan who hates the ‘off season’ over the winter, I am happy. From a moral standpoint however, I feel guilty for being so selfish. As always with these decisions, money has played a deciding factor.
      I sincerly hope that the FIA have done their homework on this one because if the violence erupts again like it did three months ago they are going to look a right bunch of prize prats! Not to mention the safety of the fans and the teams being put in jeapardy.

    25. typical…hopefully noone dies, it had to be said

    26. The only concern is safety. Seeing how the travel advice changed, it’s no surprise the race is going ahead.

      1. Then again, October is a long way from now. Would a different travel advice be an argument then or now? I seriously doubt it.

        1. If the FCO advises against ‘all but essential travel’ then the teams would find it very difficult to get insurance, and impossible to force any team member who didn’t want to go. As you say, October is a long way away, and many things could change before then. Who knows, perhaps the FIA and FOM will listen to drivers, the fans and the teams objections and change their minds…oh and pigs might fly.

        2. What other measure do you have?

          At the very least it needs to be safe now in order to go ahead with the planning.

          1. Sure, but its a fact that not a single day after the FIA delegate was back on his plane to Paris, it was not safe any more.

            1. What’s that supposed to mean?

            2. That is supposed to mean, that saying

              the only concern is safety

              , like you do, actually should mean the GP is off as that condition is not met.

            3. Nothing has changed. Stop making stuff up.

    27. On the upside, they won’t be able to keep the foreign media out or suppressed will they?

      1. They tried routing some of the GP2 press through a pro-government march before that race got cancelled, presumably to try to influence opinions. It didn’t work.

        1. Stunts like that just make them look daft.

    28. This is embarrassing and disgraceful. Sorry, but that country needs a lot more than racing cars to help it right now.

    29. What about the people who have paid for air tickets to India, there will be no refunds on them and I cannot see FOM paying!!

      1. Tickets for India have not been on sale yet.

        1. That doesn’t mean people haven’t already booked flights and hotels for the Indian Grand Prix.

          1. That doesn’t mean people don’t have cancelling insurance or that they can’t change their booking.

    30. Well, that’s disappointing, as realistically had to be expected.

      Maybe some sponsors would want to not be on the cars (in a way, Red Bull itself, “fun” image isn’t really helped by this much), I could see Chaves get Williams to remove his sponsorship to make a point (yes, high ground and all :) but I suppose this is how the world really works, and how F1 has been working for a long time.

      Still sad they didn’t decide otherwise though. Make roads safe – give tanks way of passage, and don’t protest.

      1. How horribly appropriate COTD material

        Make roads safe – give tanks way of passage, and don’t protest.

        1. The brutally opressed “protests” in Paris were no reason to stop the race in Magny Cours. Or were they?

          The protests were about the same thing, discrimination against a ethnic/religious minority, police brutality, poor housing, poor wages etc etc. “protesters” got killed when storming the police there too.

          Of course safty is a different matter here, but when the travel advice is that it’s safe to travel …

    31. So difference between Human Right abuse in Bahrain and Chine (which both have GP) are the fact that you see it on TV or read news (Bahrain) but in other case you don’t know anything (China) because it get’s censored?

      I kinda don’t recall emotional comments when China GP was ongoing.

      1. For one, 1989 wasn’t the year of the first China GP, for another, we didn’t have as many ways to show disagreement with that race back when it started.

        I do certainly recall quite a few people finding it an issue among those I spoke with that even knew F1 existed at the time (actually quite a few of my university collegues were fans, for example).

        This is just another way to show F1 hasn’t changed since then. Still makes it wrong, and sad.

        1. What about the hundreds of killed protestors since 1989? Every year there are protests in China which are beaten down with lots of violence and even incidents where police shoots at (and kills) protesters.

          For instance:
          http://articles.nydailynews.com/2008-04-05/news/29432049_1_buddhist-monks-tibetan-center-tibetan-area

          But this really happens very frequently.

          1. So does that mean, you would argue to rather put off the Bahrain GP and the Chinese GP?

            Thing is we are discussing the Bahrain GP here, not China. I know china is problematic as well, so when we get to the chines GP discussions I am looking forward to seeing you call for a boycott based on the evidently deplorable human rights situation.

            1. Yes, you are ONLY talking about Bahrain.

              Either boycott ALL of them or none.

              The UK killed a suspected terrorist who actually turned out to be innocent in the end.

              So we need to boycott Silverstone too.

      2. My point exactly. You could also say the same for Turkey, Korea, India, Abu Dhabi etc etc etc. People are being very politically correct when it’s easy to do so from the comfort of your computer. The only news coming from Bahrain in any case was mostly from the protestors and so not balanced. I’m not there, nor am I going to be, so I’m not going to comment. I will certainly be watching the race though!

      3. I know there were a lot of fans opposed, just as quite a lot of people opposed the Olympics there.

        But had it been introduced in 1989 there would have been just as much protest, be it with less means to do so then now, as there is against Bahrain, if not more.

        1. sid_prasher (@)
          3rd June 2011, 21:55

          On the face of it – nothing has changed in how China is governed. So the opposition should be the same.

          The fact is we just don’t know what the ground reality is – only a Bahrain national can tell us…

          1. unfortunately the one bahrain national i see posting here i also see being told by several of the other posters here to keep his/her mouth shut. it’s disturbing.

    32. and the early draft for 2012 calendar released by FIA shown Bahrain will stage first GP;

      why in the hell they can’t wait a few months more to back into calendar on 2012 instead..

      … wonder if keith will do coverage for bahrain gp..

      1. Ned Flanders
        3rd June 2011, 15:22

        Probably, F1 is his livelihood, but it would be a fantastic gesture if he didn’t

        1. Actually I am quite curious to see how the F1 media will deal with going there in General.

          I can imagine Will Buxton being less than happy to go there again after getting stuck in the middle of it wiht the GP2 Asia race. And some others as well.

          1. That’s exactly what I thought. We’ve waited this long; why not wait a little longer?

    33. I hope the teams and drivers will boycott it.

      I wont be watching.

    34. Russell Gould
      3rd June 2011, 15:16

      FIA: Failure in awareness.

      This is a gigantic stinkbomb laid at the feet of the teams. It likely will produce a race as competitive the last U.S.G.P.

      How to hose up a fantastic season? We have a winner!

      1. Well, the last USGP was actually in 2007. Not a hugely exciting race, but it did feature a memorable battle between then-teammates Hamilton and Alonso down the frontstretch at Indy, en route to Hamilton’s second career win.

        Surely you are thinking about the 2005 USGP, and you would be correct in thinking that one was not exciting…or exciting for all the wrong reasons. But there were two more USGPs staged at Indy after that, in 2006 and 2007 :)

    35. Is the BBC obligated to show the race? I remember some comment from a BBC reporter just before the original postponement saying that they might not show the race at all if it went ahead.

      Either which way, won’t be watching. The whole situation stinks.

      1. Mark Hitchcock
        3rd June 2011, 15:27

        I suspect they wouldn’t have shown it first time round because the travel advice was not to travel there so they couldn’t get insured etc.

        They will almost certainly show it this time round.
        They had no problem with the Chinese olympics and the protests against that were much more vocal than those against the Bahrain GP.

        1. Mark Hitchcock
          3rd June 2011, 15:28

          Doesn’t mean we have to watch it though. I certainly won’t be.
          Not really sure why I watch the Chinese GP for that matter. Hypocrisy I suppose.

          1. I did give China a miss for years for that very reason, but caved in and watched this year and also the ’09 race. So I’m not one to talk either.

    36. Ned Flanders
      3rd June 2011, 15:21

      Shame on all parties involved.

    37. To everyone who thinks this is the wrong decision get on Twitter and Facebook and let the teams know directly you think it’s wrong.

    38. October is a long way off. I don’t think the race will happen. There is too much instability in the region and even with the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in the country, I wouldn’t step foot in it. Plus I think holding the last race on a new circuit is stupid. I have nothing against India but Brazil is tried-and-try.

      1. I meant tried-and-true.

    39. Well if it is being held, I’ll head over to Bahrain to watch it (provided its safe…and not just “Bernie safe”)…judging from the reactions here I’ll be able to get good seats.

      1. Ned Flanders
        3rd June 2011, 15:32

        Really?? That’s disapointing. Presumably, living in Abu Dhabi must insulate you from human rights abuses, then

        1. Dubai actually!

          I completely understand the arguments of you and many others who will not watch this race out of principle, and I applaud you for having such moral fibre, I really do. But after having watched the sport I love for so long I simply cannot turn down the chance to watch a race that is practically on my doorstep. Seb Buemi said on the Flying lap that he hs family in Bahrain and they say its fine, LAK has been on this forum many times and has said its ok, so I’ll be monitoring the situation and if its safe, I’ll go. That’s my way of supporting the sport I love, not a political regime.

          Human rights violations go on in many places, and take many different forms, and many of the countries that F1 currently visits don’t exactly have spotless human rights records (China for one).

          1. I have to say I’m with GeeMac on this one. I won’t be actually attending the race, but I’ll be watching it as normal and treating it like any other GP weekend.

            Call me callous if you like, and admittedly I’m quite naive to the whole situation, but I love F1 and whether the decision is the right one or wrong one, I’ll watch it regardless because my opinions on the matter aren’t strong enough to make me come down on the other side of the argument.

            I respect and applaud those who feel so strongly otherwise, but I’m not going to lie and follow what seems like the majority of people who don’t want this race to go ahead.

            1. Dan, that is exactly how I feel about it all.

          2. I’ll have to give Geemac a +1 on that.

            I’d have to boycott every race connected to the FIA and Formula 1 as they’re the organizations that have decided to support this ‘evil empire’. I will feel like a bit of a hypocrite if I don’t watch Bahrain but then watch the following race.

      2. How cynical. But I guess the being safe will still be a pretty big concern.

    40. I hope all the teams pull into the pits on the formation lap.

      1. And then get devastated by the people who would go to the event?

        1. If it is safe they won’t have to worry about being ‘devastated’ by the people…

    41. Im not going to comment on whether i think its right or wrong to go there, but we do race in China……. And no one seems to have a problem with that.

      1. I have a problem with China. However, at this moment in time, it’s safer than the middle east. Mao is dead so that whole mass-murder thing doesn’t really go on anymore. I think.

        1. Chinas Human rights record is far far worse than that of the current middle east problem countries and has been going on for far longer, and overlooked by much of the west.

          I dont think safety will be a problem in Bahrain, one thing i at least trust in this decision is that they wouldnt be going if there was a danger, and recent reports in the country seem to indicate they are past their issues of a couple of months ago, however that has been achieved.

        2. Depends on where you go. China is a big country. There is usually some unrest going on somewhere.

          In 2005 and 2006 it was Guangdong, in 2008 (and other years) it was Tibet, in 2009 it was Xinjang and now there’s trouble in Mongolia.

          The police pretty much deals swiftly and brutally with these problems though. Internet gets censored and no one every exactly knows how many protesters got killed.

    42. Major (wrong) move to save a whole country. Bahrain has often been credited as great tourist destination, and the image was blown away. FIA is here to help.
      Dear Lord, stop the madness.

    43. Ned Flanders
      3rd June 2011, 15:31

      As much as this whole mess ****** me off, the unanimity of our condemnation of this disgusting decision reassures me that the humanity isn’t quite as ****** up as I often think it is. Respect to all you conscientious F1 fans out there, especially those who intend to boycott.

      1. I certainly plan on doing so.

        Only thing keeping me from boycotting would be a major suprise if Bahrain actually manages to get these reform discussions going and implement steps to really turn to normal (as in a normal most of us would feel comfortable with at home), they have free press and no people locked up for being uncomfortable for the regime.

        Seriously doubt it will ever happen though, so lets keep it on the boycott.

      2. Yeah, I was appalled that everybody simply watched the race in China, Malaysia and Turkey. Just utterly disgusting.

        So many human rights violations goin on in these countries and people just watch a race?!?!?

        I’m glad people finally start to realise the error in their ways.

        Surely people now realize that we cannot watch the race in Singapore, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and India. We should even boycot Brazil for the criminal risks that the teams are put under.

        I say we all boycott these races. Fanatics for the cause! Yay!

    44. polishboy808
      3rd June 2011, 15:33

      Argh, not this again….

    45. Great decision. Can’t wait to get out there. F1 Is the winner.

    46. I remember when Alesi ran out of fuel and Murray Walker famously said;

      “oh Jean, you may well look a bit worried, you’ve got a major problem sunshine!”

      I feel the same will apply here to Mr Todt.

    47. Is this Bernies “Let them eat cake” moment?

    48. I must admit, since the initial cancellation of the race in March, I’ve not paid much attention to the goings on in Bahrain, so anything I said would be uninformed and without reason. I’m not sure it’s safe to go to Bahrain, but I am not sure if the situation is quite as bad as the media have made out. I suppose I may never know. I really wanted the Grand Prix to go ahead, but if it is as unsafe as everyone is saying, I think we could have waited a year. It just seems like they’re rushing into it a bit.

      1. Ned Flanders
        3rd June 2011, 16:23

        Well, let me tell you on behalf of all the people who are following the story, there’s every indication that the situation is as bad as the media suggests.

        1. That’s a shame. I honestly can’t see anything bad happening on the weekend, but I doubt everyone will be behaving because they want to; they’ll be forced to. It could be a brutal and bloody weekend for the protesters trying to disrupt things. And if there are going to be people still protesting by then, there’s no way there should be a Grand Prix. Even if someone from the world of Formula 1 isn’t hurt, there’s every chance there will be some negative and disturbing stories to come out of the weekend.

          1. Yeah, it is bound to be an attraction to whoever wants to make a point. And the government will very probably feel its needed to prevent that by “increased security measures”.
            Not what I call safe.

            What’s more, it might put any reform discussions under pressure, as the opposition will probably threaten to break off talks and take to the streets when they see no progress before the event.

    49. Unbelievably stupid decision. I for one will not be watching this race.

    50. I think cyber lobbies such as Avaaz have the right approach. Rather than talking to Bernie and his cronies, they go directly to sponsors such as Red Bull. How can you promote your product to a young crowd while a car bearing your own name races on a track in a country where peaceful demonstrators are being shot out with live rounds, doctors and nurses beaten up and tortured and basic freedoms denied to the majority of the population ? I hope Red Bull will have some (business) sense and boycott the race (I won’t be watching anyway).. Only Damon Hill and Mark Webber had the guts to speak the right words but sadly they’re a vanishing generation.

      1. Indeed. But if the FIFA sponsors didn’t pull support from Sepp, I don’t see them acting any differently this time.

      2. Yeah, seems it is the only thing that might help a bit now.

      3. Ned Flanders
        3rd June 2011, 16:24

        Yeah, initially I couldn’t understand why the petition was directed towards Red Bull, but I suppose it makes sense

      4. They don;t need to win Red Bull over. They’d rather have one race less anyway.

    51. Money talks

    52. Its the correct decision, Bahrain has the right to move on after the anarchy its gone through.

      For those who are upset with this decision because they claim the Bahraini govt is killings its ppl, I say the govt only protected its ppl from the terrorists that hijacked the roads,attacked innocent civilians and ran over policemen and beat them to death.

      And I say to them, you are not in Bahrain, you only hear the lies you get from these terrorists. I am Bahraini and I have lived through these dark days and I say Bahrain, its ppl and its govt deserve a chance to move past this. You have no right to talk on my behalf or the bahraini ppl’s behalf about our govt. Let us deal with our internal affairs.

      Thank you FIA for making the right decision.

      1. “its ppl and its govt deserve a chance to move past this”
        No they don’t. They will never get the chance to move past this. Bahrain is gone as a touristic and business destination and will for a long time bear the costs of what the authorities did. Having the GP in October will only draw international media scrutiny back to what really happened.

        1. Exaclty. It will mean a lot of media will have to be let in to report on the event. And many of them will have to at least try and look for themselves about the situation to see whats the truth.

          That will bring a lot of pressure on any possilbe reform discussions, as all sides will use it as a means of putting a deadline on those discussions.

          1. Are you sure? I’m not. They can easily just let sport editors in, and escort them on the grounds of security.

            1. Sure they can, but what will the story then be? Think about the tweets from the likes of Buxton and Adam Cooper et all, about how they are being pulled along all weekend.

              And the comments from bloggers on how there is a lot being suppressed. Will that work?

      2. Is it still protecting them now after the violence reported yesterday – after the state of emergency was lifted? Sadly the situation is not over yet; one cannot move on from an ongoing event, especially not by using something that is aggravating said event.

      3. Ned Flanders
        3rd June 2011, 16:25

        You are Bahraini, are you? Let me ask: are you Sunni or Shia? I don’t expect a reply

      4. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 16:48

        LOL

        You are a joke.

        1. MVEilenstein
          3rd June 2011, 16:49

          Nasreen, that is.

      5. Let us deal with our internal affairs.

        Then don’t invite international sporting events to take place in the middle of you dealing with your ‘internal affairs’.

    53. It was not about the money. If that is so, why was it impossible to wait until March? When we can be sure that the country is back to normal and there will be a safe race.

    54. I was wrong, I never expected this. Well, today I started doubting. Because this is also about powerplay between FIA, FOM and FOTA. So, I still see the possibility of à cancellation, by the teams via a boycot. But it doesn’t look good for F1.

    55. Hey guys, I’m going to the Bahrain GP this year and was wondering about accommodation, travel, that kind of thing?
      I read somewhere I’d have to take a truncheon, an ‘I LOVE THE BAHRAINI GOVERNMENT’ t-shirt and, because I burn like a peach, some sun-cream.
      If you can think of any other items I’ll need just let me know.
      Cheers.

      1. COTD material for certain. Don’t forget the bullet proof vest and face mask.

      2. Mark Hitchcock
        3rd June 2011, 17:12

        How about a “No use crying over spilt blood” badge?

      3. Kevlar vest?

    56. Dan_the_McLaren_fan (@dan_the_mclaren_fan)
      3rd June 2011, 16:07

      I will boycott this dull race organised by murdrerers!

      1. What about the unarmed policemen that were murdered Dan? Ran over by 4×4’s. You want these people to take charge of the country instead?

        1. What about the unarmed protesters that were murdered, Gecko? Run over by police. You want these people to take charge of the country instead?

          1. And those who shot at police trying to tend to protestors – they sound like just the people to be in charge.

        2. Ran over by a car trying to flee the scene of people being shot at that is.

    57. To all the haters – you have fallen hook, link and sinker for all the false propaganda spread by the so-called peaceful protesters and the inaccurate reporting of the western media in their rush for sensationalism and to “Go-live”. Boy are you gullible.
      This is the right decision and will help to reunite this beautiful country and go some way to returning it to the way it was before the minority of the population decided to disparage and vandalise it.

      1. Ned Flanders
        3rd June 2011, 16:29

        Overlooking the moral issues, Bahrain isn’t beautiful at all. It’s just a dusty little sand dune in the middle of the sea. Sorry if that sounds rude, I’m sure it has lots of stuff going for it, but frankly natural beauty is not one of its strong points

      2. So you’re telling me to trust your government TV station I’ve never seen, over the CNN and BBC, who have 100+ years of news experience combined?

        If you say so.

      3. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 16:53

        Proud to be a hater.

      4. So were the protestors the ones in police and army uniforms shooting at the people without guns in the street?

      5. Right, I have fallen to propaganda by AlJazeera english, the BBC, the Times, FT and numerous other established media outlets. As well as Human Right Watch, Amnesty International and other independant NGO’s with a reputation for looking at the real picture.
        I am sure they are run by the Iranians and by your Bahrain opposition.

        So what Propaganda did you dig into? The one where it left out the police shooting protestors, and only showed those protesters then fleeing, hitting a police officer in the course of fleeing?

      6. Anyone here explain to me the difference between the riots in France and the riots in Bahrain.

        1. In short, in France it was about violence by those protesting from the outset and they had no real political demands, mostly just frustration. But be sure to have a lookup on the internet for that Patrickl, not on a F1 forum.

          1. So blocking an important intersection and marching up to a protected government building (after being told not to) is “peaceful”?!?!?1

            You have got to be kidding me.

            Try blocking Trafalgar square, then march right up to downing street 10, shoot 3 police officers when they try to move your “peacful protest” off the square and then see what happens.

            If you make it back alive you are right. if not, I was.

            Thanks!

    58. Jose Diaz-Marin
      3rd June 2011, 16:24

      This just an insult to all the people that have been abused and killed in Bahrain. And even if this is not enough for the FIA, then they should take into account the Fans, as they are the very reason and support behind the sport. This is an insult to all those fans that already bought tickets, arranged their travel and hosting for the India GP… Are they going to have a refund? Not in your dreams mate! I’m seriously considering not watching the rest of this season!

    59. Its not fair to punish a country for ensuring its ppl’s safety and stopping terrorists. they have blocked main streets, murdered labourers and cut out their tongues, they hijacked hospitals and refused to treat ppl, the encouraged children and women to go face the riot police, they attacked with molotovs, swords and knives and you dont want the govt to stop them? they stop cars on the street and attack women, and u dont want the govt to stop them? they created chaos in the country for ONE whole month and the govt didnt do anything then they escalted.. ur saying the govt shouldnt have stopped them?! the ppl ur saying our govt “murdered” are TERRORISTS!!!!

      1. How come the international press was thrown out so they couldn’t report these ‘facts’?

      2. Nasreen, be sure to take it from the world in general that you had no terrorists there in Bahrain.
        Had they been there, these terrorist would have made the news with bomb attacks like we had in Pakistan only this week. And in Iraq and Afghanistan a few days ago.

        You might have spawned some of them by the violence now though.

      3. Yeah, I’d love to see these “high horses” when London get’s terrorized by a bunch of shiites demanding better housing, better wages and not to be discriminated against.

        1. I seriously doubt they would send in the armed forces with tanks and call the NATO in for assistance.
          But talking about London, it is rather going to be sunni terrorists than shiites, we will have to see if anyting like that happens.

          1. Well they probably thought the same in Paris.

            But ehm …
            http://www.news24.com/World/News/London-G20-riot-man-killed-unlawfully-20110503

            And read up on that 2004 Bahrain GP article posted somewhere around here. There have been terrorist threats against the King for years. F1 didn’t back down from terrorists and they shouldn’t start now.

    60. To the people demanding that the race be abandoned for political reasons, let me ask you this: what do you intend to do about the consequences of such an action? And by that, I mean that if one race is political, then all of them are.

      If we do not go to Bahrain for political reasons, then we need to assess the politics of each and every nation that hosts a Grand Prix. Take Melbourne, for example. The Australian Grand Prix is subsidised by the Liberal state government. Victoria has been Liberal for some time now, and serves as a base of power for the national opposition – who are currently in the process of holding the entire country hostage by vetoing each and every proposition the government comes up with for an envionrmental policy. They are trying to force an election and get themselves into power, despite the fact that they have no policies of their own except for “nothing the government suggests”. If they do get into power, they will repeatedly run Australia into the ground.

      What does Formula 1 think of this? Should they reasonably accept money from a political party whose official approach seems to be to wear the entire country down? Should Formula 1 support a potential Prime Minister who still believes that the country is monotheistic and whose beliefs on the role of women in society are outdated by at least forty years?

      And more importantly, if Formula 1 can support a government like that, why can they not support the government in Bahrain? Or do you just want to be able to sleep better at night?

      Until you can provide a valid answer as to why Formula 1 can be seen to support some governments but not others without being hypocrites (ironically, the very behaviour you are demanding they boycott), none of you have a leg to stand on.

      1. Ned Flanders
        3rd June 2011, 16:36

        I was going to comment on your analogy, but then I thought: why bother? I’m sure in your heart of hearts you know that it doesn’t make sense.

        Instead, may I suggest you stop wasting your time trying to annoy people, and go and to bed. It must be very late in Australia now, right? Sleep tight

        1. I’m sure in your heart of hearts you know that it doesn’t make sense.

          Actually, it does. I’ll forgive you for not being up on Australian politics, but let’s put it this way: the most basic difference between the Liberal and Labour parties is that Liberals are white-collars and Labour is blue. Under a Liberal government, there will be tax cuts for the rich, and tax hikes for the poor. Under a Labour government, there will be tax cuts for the poor and tax hikes for the rich. The obvious consequence of this is that the Liberals only look out for themselves, and everyone else be damned. It might not be the same methods as the tactics used by the government in Manama, but the end result is the same: the people who need help the most lose out.

          Instead, may I suggest you stop wasting your time trying to annoy people, and go and to bed.

          May I counter your suggestion with a suggestion of my own?

          How about you stop trying to get people to go away simply because you disagree with their opinion? I’ve got a lot of respect for you Ned, but when you try pulling stuff like this, it makes me wonder why you’re so critical of the Bahraini government since they’ve basically been doing the exact same thing. Or would you like to start throwing around some words and phrases that you don’t know the meaning of again?

          It must be very late in Australia now, right?

          It is. It’s 1:46am. My mind, however, is as sharp as an army bayonet – I’ve spent the past two hours dealing with someone who somehow managed to kill all the power to four flats in my college, so I’m wide awake.

          1. Sorry, but a proper response would’ve been a waste of time. Clearly, you made up your mind back in February. The more people have criticised your views, the more you’ve dug yourself into a trench of opinion.

            Surely you do read some stuff that we have to say and think, y’know what, they have a point? Has anything that anyone has had to say on the issue had any influence on your opinion, to any extent??

            1. Clearly, you made up your mind back in February.

              So did you.

              Has anything that anyone has had to say on the issue had any influence on your opinion, to any extent?

              No. And you know why? It’s because nobody has been able to produce a single argument – much less a convincing argument – as to why Formula 1 can judge the politics of one country and leave another alone.

              My stace has always been that the race should only be cancelled on the grounds of safety. Politics don’t come into it – that’s a dangerous, slippery slope. If you want to make a stand against Bahrain, there are more appropriate channels to do so.

          2. Wow, seems the power supply is pretty shabby there PM. Didn’t you have some problems to fix with that a few months ago as well?

            As for Bahrain and politics. Some of the tweets from Bahraini rejoicing about having the GP back and how it showed those #@@#^&@{# protesters clearly show, that this is seen as a big win for the government. In effect making it political.

            Interesting thoughts formulated about the liberals and labour. If only it was that simple. In reality taking care of the poor the way many Labour-ish governments do often backfires. And the Liberals sometimes achieve positive things, like boosting the economy, or cutting down on misspending.

            To bring the thought back to Bahrain. The most important fact is, that you can actually vote who you want to decide on matters, and guess what it influences more than half the power in government. And you can actually work for the government, or go into politics yourself and have direct influence and even be PM (as in prime minister :-D ). In Bahrain you can only work for the government if you are Sunni in most cases, and the chosen parliament has very little real influence.

            1. Didn’t you have some problems to fix with that a few months ago as well?

              It’s Chinese powerboards and appliances. They run on a different output to Australian ones, and use up a lot more power. We found one of the master fuses for the block was burning, and when they turn on all their power, it just blew the entire circuit.

            2. Ah, right. Hope it did not damage to much then. Hm, cheap purchasing does not always pay off, it seems.

      2. Until you can provide a valid answer as to why Formula 1 can be seen to support some governments but not others without being hypocrites (ironically, the very behaviour you are demanding they boycott), none of you have a leg to stand on.

        If you were an F1 employee and you had to go to Bahrain, would you? Do you feel secure enough that you can go there and nothing will happen to you? Knowing that you’re the top international event and is a very plum target for any and all threats?

        I wouldn’t. And that’s why we shouldn’t go to Bahrain.

        1. I don’t agree with any particular point there. It’s well-documented that my stance has always been that the race should be cancelled if the situation means it is unsafe for teams and drivers to go. I also believe that if the political situation in a country is so dire that people are calling for the race to be abandoned for political reasons, then the country is clearly already in a state where it is unsafe to go and talk of cancelling the race for political reasons shouldn’t even come into it.

          No, the people I am addressing are the people who wish to make a political example of Bahrain. If one race is political, then all races are. And until the nay-sayers can explain to me why it is okay for Formula 1 to pass judgement on some countries, but not to others, then nothing they can say will convince me that they’re right.

          Because if you really look at it, the blog as alight with comments when the race was first cancelled. But then as soon as Formula 1 left the country, the debate stopped – but the injustices the blog members were decrying did not. So I suspect a lot of people are demanding a boycott not because it’s the right thing to do, but because they want to be able to sleep soundly at night, safe in the knowledge that they did the “right thing” or “their part” to help Bahrain when in reality, they haven’t done a thing.

          1. It didn’t stop because they wanted F1 back. They did anything and everything they could to stop the protests to get F1 back. Mind you, not even China killed protesters just to get an F1 race.

          2. But fact remains, safety can not be guaranteed for everyone. Not for all 3000+ team personell, not for all the media and certainly not for tens of thousends of visitors.

            Just look at the violence already going on again, less than 24hrs after the FIA delegate left. You need only one extreme protester to upset all of it.

          3. Accidental Mick
            4th June 2011, 14:23

            @PM
            Keep in mind that this event is one of the few to be televised live and globaly.

            If there is still tension in Bahrain (and I don’t know one way or the other), the protesters will do their level best to “get on the telly” and the police will be doing their best to stop them.

            The event will be a powder keg that I for one don’t want witness.

      3. Russell Gould
        3rd June 2011, 16:45

        I think that coercion at gunpoint is the issue here. Doesn’t seem to be the case down under.

      4. You know, I would really like to pretend it doesn’t matter, that F1 is F1 and whatever happens in the country hosting the race is their own problem.

        But here we have a direct link between an F1 race being able to go ahead and people getting mown down in the streets. You cannot say that everything has returned to paradise in Bahrain in such a short time without depending on people being killed.

        I would be a hypocrite to say we shouldn’t be in Bahrain because its government does dodgy things. Hell, technically ever UK MP for the last 30-odd years has broken constitutional law by passing through EU legislation and we have a Grand Prix. I’m also none too fond of political activism. That’s why I wanted the race to be postponed until next year, to give a decent amount of time for things to be settled. As it is, F1 will go to Bahrain not because some people were killed but then everything was sorted out afterwards and the country moved on, but directly because people were killed to calm things down straight away with nothing but empty sentiments about reform and dialogue. Which is just simply a step too far for me.

      5. That’s like saying the Montreal GP should be boycotted because the mayor is of a somewhat questionable moral fiber…

    61. well, if the King is looking for a reconciliation then why the riot police hunting the protesters down in Bahrain roads? the F1 should be ashamed

      have a look what is going on in Manama at the moment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxy5WQneEB0&feature=share

      1. To force them to sit down and talk? Yeah, I know, does not sound too convincing.

      2. We just had a race in Spain. Look at the state of affairs there!

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJq-mp9AZxA

    62. Ned,

      I am muslim..

      Just the fact that you’re asking me what sect I am shows that you have been talking to some protesters which makes your judgement clouded.

      To Bahrainis, Bahrain is heaven on earth, I’m sure you’d say the same about whatever spot ur from. No one is forcing you to come to bahrain, so your spared from coming to see the sand dune.

      Our internal affairs is our business, so please do not pretend to know what ur talking about when you in reality don’t.

      All readers (other than Ned),

      Bahrain is safe now, we all go out and come back any time, even late at night. We go to work, send our kids to school and live our lives normally.

      In fact, Bahrain has never been safer since its cleaned out the country and arrested the terrorists.

      The weather in oct is amazing, so F1 this year will be even better than before.

      1. I’m sorry, but “heaven on earth”? The country I’m living in is closer to “hell on earth”. Almost no one would call their home “heaven on earth” except if you live in Monaco or some similar tax haven.

        “Our internal affairs is our business?” You haven’t been watching the news, have you? We are all citizens of the world, so your internal affairs is the world’s internal affairs. Also, I saw that situation in my very own country 25 years ago – and I’m glad someone intervened in “our internal affairs”.

        “In fact, Bahrain has never been safer since its cleaned out the country and arrested the terrorists.”

        The F1 race has been in Bahrain since 2004. There weren’t any criminals running amuck back then, were there? I don’t see how it’s any safer now than it was before. If anything, it’s more dangerous. I mean, firing at non-violent protests today? How is that remotely safe?

        1. “The F1 race has been in Bahrain since 2004. There weren’t any criminals running amuck back then, were there?”

          Actually yes. EG:

          This is what I find hard to stomach. There has always been civil unrest in Bahrain and often it was put down quite brutally.

          F1 is actually giving a voice to the ‘opposition’!

          1. Hmmm, don’t know what I did there but click the green text for link to story!

            1. that is how you put in a link elegantly. Good job there Laura!

          2. So are you saying that blowing up the king is not an act of terrorism?

      2. You say “our internal affairs is our business”. Abuse of human rights takes Bahraini government action out of the realm of simply “internal affairs”. Bahrain invites the world to an international sporting event yet does not respect human rights. Hypocrisy.

    63. Bahrain Grand Prix reinstated on 2011 F1 calendar

      Race hosting fees propel F1 income to $1.7bn

      Huh.

      1. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 17:01

        Sums it up nicely, doesn’t it?

        1. my thoughts exactly.

    64. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FISA%E2%80%93FOCA_war#Boycott_and_Water-Cooled_Brakes Imola 1982, the last time a race has been boycotted due to political reasons and shiz… Teams and Drivers have boycotted races such as Spa and Nurburgring in the past due to health and safety reasons, and it got stuff done… However with the Concorde agreement (due to the FISA-FOCA war) it’s not so easy nowadays… I can see 24 cars lining up the grid in Bahrain. I will be watching it, because I support the teams and the drivers… I dislike the politics but I deal with them… Money or no money, at the end of the day it’s still part of the championship, and I follow the sport I love closely to watch the teams and drivers I support put their lives at risk every race weekend for our amusement.

    65. Must be Do not give the repressive regime honor of hosting the race , What is the benefit if the sport has not taken advantage of in the noble goals ,

      Why dance on the wounds of Bahraini , shame on you

    66. MV,

      laugh away – will think of u and laugh while attending the Bahrain race in oct

      1. I won’t laugh at you in return. Why? Because I pity you. I really do.

      2. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 17:08

        Blood on your hands, not mine.

        1. Get a grip. Seriously.

    67. Frustrated Fan
      3rd June 2011, 17:02

      Total bs.I Had already made my travel arrangements.And then bern had to re instate bahrain. I hope the teams boycott it.i’m not going to watch the gp and i might just skip watching the rest of the season too.

    68. Sickening… As a result of this vile re-instatement I have to seriously ask myself if I ever wish to attend an F1 event again or even if I wish to continue to follow F1 in any capacity.
      3RD JUNE 2011 – THE DAY F1 DIED

    69. This is an appalling decision. The difficulty and inconvenience to the teams is being completely ignored. These people get two weeks as an offseason??? Few people are money loving whores as much as Bernie Eccelstone. That is all.

    70. Y’all do-gooders and hippies gonna miss out on the F1 so you can sulk about “human rights”? Good luck applying that policy consistently, and thereby refusing to watch most of the races that take place outside Europe.

      1. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 17:08

        That’s not a bad idea.

      2. So you turn a blind eye to Bahrain?

        Very well.

      3. Oh, and ‘missing out’ on the Bahrain GP?!? More like a relief that I could do something interesting for 2 hours on a Sunday instead.

    71. Frustrated fun
      3rd June 2011, 17:09

      I forgot to mention out of sheer frustration that i was going to india.

    72. Couldn’t they just leave it out for 2011 and then suddenly just forget that the circuit ever existed?

    73. I had tickets for Bahrain having booked travel and tickets through the F1 website. I got a refund for the ticket and hotel but because of the type of ticket I could not get a refurnd for the flights. The day I was due to travel and because governments were advising against foreign travel KLM agreed to give me credit agaiants a flight before the end of April. I ended up going to Kuala Lumpur (and loved it) and it cost me the same as Bahrain but if had booked to go to KL instead on Bahrain it would have been cheaper!

      Image having flights for a race which has now been postponed or moved. Who is going to provide compensation? This proves a theory that the fnas don’t matter very much.

      1. fans what fans??? we don’t exist all matters is that stupid old ***** getting his pockets buttered. I hope some teams have the balls to go against this.

        1. They can’t. Concorde agreement.

          1. Indy 2005 procedure ring any bells?

    74. Seeing is believing. World please come and see. Bahrain is beautiful safe and booming. The campaign against Bahrain is mainly a media war not a ground war and I am surprised that the educated west would fall for such a scam. Bahrain is safe, sound and ready for the world.

      1. and as for reem and nasreen i wouldn’t be surprised if your on the payroll of the bahrani govt to improve their image and push some public opinion their way so that the race doesn’t get boycotted

        1. and then reem and nasreen could contest that you are a shiite muslim trying to get your protest heard.

          There are two sides to the story and for some reason only that of the protesting minority seems to be heard in the UK.

      2. See, that’s what I don’t get here. What does the media get from not telling the truth in Bahrain? It’s not like the US government is telling them to destabilize Bahrain – they have a standing fleet there!

        I don’t see why the media wouldn’t be telling the truth here.

        As the saying goes, “A liar only fools himself.”

        1. It’s called good business. The media doesn’t care about human rights any more than Bernie does. They only care about telling stories that get them readers and as such advertising revenue. There are many countries around the world with much worse going on than in Bahrain and you never hear about it because it’s not ‘news’. F1 has made Bahrain news so, in the long run, it may well have a positive effect.

      3. not what the rating agencies are saying about Bahrain and Bahrain based banks currently.

    75. Personally I can’t see any of the teams not attending. Points so far towards the back of the season will be too important to sacrifice. However, FOTA need to be seen to at least deliberate it.

      Glad to see it back. As a motorsport fan an extra race is always welcome.

      1. Red Bull may have sewn up the titles well before then – they can choose to skip it. If no one goes, no one gains or loses anything. Also, if sponsors pull out (a big if, granted), will they not be pressured to pull out as well?

        1. It’s not only Red Bull who have matter with points though. You get prize money all the way down to 10th at the moment at varying levels. Teams like Williams and Sauber will be keen to maximise points.

          That said, Williams were the team who came out and said they would boycott when this first kicked off, did they not?

    76. I’d also like to hear Keith’s views on this, he always makes sense :)

      1. I’m going to be on the BBC World Service at half six talking about it:

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/index.shtml

        But here’s what I wrote earlier for a preview:

        Bernie Ecclestone must cancel the Bahrain Grand Prix

        1. Shame I missed that Keith, do you know weather they have a download available?

    77. How appropriate this happens the day I saw a certain Formula 1 film, which has Senna saying F1 is about politics and money. Some things never change.

    78. Mitz,

      You’re talking the protester’s language (on govt payroll)

      Have you so brain washed by them that you think its impossible for ppl to love their country and protect it and try to restore its image?

      Seriously most bahrainis lve bahrain, its ppl and its govt and our loyalties are to our country and not to other countries.

      I know many sympathasize with the ‘arab spring’ and so do we, but bahrain is nothing close to Tunisia or Egypt. Our govt is not murdering ppl and the situation is not bad here, life is back to normal!!!

      1. “Our govt is not murdering ppl”

        Does the name Salman Isa Abu Idrees ring a bell to you? If it doesn’t, it’s no wonder you think no one’s getting killed – you’re blind and deaf to it.

        Also, if you’re going to comment some more here, you do know how to use the ‘Reply’ link, right? ;)

    79. such a shame that yet again in sport money has prevailed over sense, just like the world cup bids… I thought there was more dignity in F1 than that and am appalled that returning to such a place of political unrest has been viewed in such a light hearted manner by the FIA.. I dont believe that there should have ever been the option to go racing there this season or next until all the disputes are settled.

    80. Dear all, fans, organizers and most of all Drivers,

      Bahrain is so safe and seeing is truly believing, on Feb 18 which was during the peak of our problems by some unfortunate citizens who have decided to force the whole country to follow Iran I had a couple of engineers flying in from Spain who feared to come but after convincing they came and saw by their own eyes how safe it is and how unfortunately some of our miss lead citizens have used the media to hype what wasn’t happening at least not to the extent it was delivered.

      My country needs this race to simply prove to the world that we are a civalized country that respects human rights… And by the way we are in the middle east and sometimes things here are the other way around..

      I am writing this while having coffee and a shisha just to let you know that it’s safe and sound..

      1. With all due respect, you can do that NOW. Without F1. And we have seen nothing that convinces us of it.

      2. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 17:39

        Wow, the government supporters suddendly showing up everywhere. Pure coincidence, I’m sure.

        I am writing this while having coffee and a shisha just to let you know that it’s safe and sound..

        Easy to do if you’re Sunni, I imagine.

        1. To be honest my Govt can’t buy me because I am heavily paid by the project I manage in Bahrain.. But since you have made it so clear that I am a Sunni it only proves that you are an anti-bahrain Troll who is heavily paid by your mulla’s in Iran..

          I petty your kind who are hiding behind nick names as not stating your real identity is just a sign of weekness and a proof that you don’t believe in your cause.

          I am a supporter of F1 and I think that the FIA has taken a good decision in going ahead with the race, just to prove to the world that they believe in this country as whole including the Govt that manages it.

          Yes like another Govt it needs reform but not a single loyal Bahraini would accept anarchy and for Bahrain to be part of a sick regime runned by a crazy mulla in Another country.

          1. LOL, nice quip about the Sunni “bais” (rather changed to word for the filter there, sorry if this gets double posted) there Janahi. Good one.

            Oh, I do think MVEilenstein actually uses his own name there.

            I certainly do not agree about this being a good thing.
            First of all it was clear that calling off the state of emergency and those announced diologues were staged to have Bernie and Todt go ahead and reschedule the GP. Why else start a new crack down less than a day after the FIA delegate left.

            But the worse thing is, that having the GP will hurt any such talks if they are meant to be serious. The GP will be used as a means of pressure to these talks and this will not be the best way to actually get them moving forward in a positive way.

            That is, if your government is serious about actually reforming itself this time.

    81. Journeyer,

      Thanks for the tip bit the reply is not showing (on mobile).

      Yes I know the name, died of a heart attack at the hospital and no. I can’t prove it and you can’t prove otherwise.

      1. Fair enough.

        I didn’t know dying of a heart attack involved getting tortured?

        http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/06/green-light-for-bahrains-formula-one-is-setback-for-democracy-activists/239898/

        And before you tell me otherwise, the US gains NOTHING from lying – they have a standing fleet right in your waters, and they’re doing everything they can to protect your government.

    82. I told you so. Even though one haven’t had to be an Einstein to predict it.

    83. MV and Journeyer,

      It seems ur not using ur real name and in fact are protesters from the way ur talking..

      Hahha ‘Easy to do if you’re Sunni, I imagine.’

      1. Hahahaha! Very funny. I was indeed a protester back in my day where I live (and nope, I’m not from the Middle East). We’ve had to struggle with our own dictators too – too many for our taste. But we actually had the guts to get rid of them. Do you?

        But this is an F1 blog, and I digress. What was the last F1 race you watched? Who’s your favorite driver? Why do you like him?

      2. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 17:59

        Yes, I’m protesting your brutal, murderous government. From a desk in Seattle.

        What of it?

    84. There have been talks about human rights violations in China too but nobody really talks about them in relation to F1 . So my question is, what is the difference between going to China or Bahrain? I don’t really know what is going on in either of those places. I only know what I see on the news which is not really the whole picture every time. People need to get some perspective on the matters at hand and have some consistency in the decisions of whether to go to one country and boycotting another.

      1. Actually, now that you say it, we should leave China too. Poor human rights record AND poor race attendance. No upside at all.

        It doesn’t change my position on Bahrain one bit.

      2. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 18:20

        I’m happy to boycott China.

        Consistent enough for you?

        1. If you add Malaysia, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Turkey, India and Brazil, then sure.

    85. Keith – what’s the chance we can boycott this round of the predictions championship?

      I personally feel, like many others, that a Bahrain GP this year is distasteful to say the very least.

    86. One aspect of this decision I don’t think is being raised enough, be it in news reports or on Twitter, is the fact that the decision was unanimous.

      Not only have the FIA WMSC shamed Formula 1 today, they’ve also shown that not one member of the council has an iota of morality.

      I wonder how non-F1 fans and the public in general would feel about the FIA itself if it was included in all the news reports that one of the 26 people who had a right to vote on today’s deplorable decision was a Bahraini member of the Al Khalifa ruling family…

      Shameful!

    87. My friends are Sheis, my colleagues are Sheis, they are all feeling safe and living normally, they are only concerned if they are going to receive their salaries next month should the situation deteriorate and the economy shuts down completely again so there are no longer support for protestors

    88. Meetings were conducted with the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Bahrain Motor Federation and Bahrain International Circuit, as well as other national and international organisations including Mr. Tariq Al Saffar at the National Institute of Human Rights.

      Interestingly enough, a Google search of “Tariq Al Saffar” and “National Institute of Human Rights” limited to dates up until 2 June 2011 returns pretty much zero relevant results… funny that.

      I would still like someone, anyone, who’s supporting the Bahraini government to give me just a hint of a plausible reason why international reporting has been booted out the country, or why organizations like Doctors Without Borders would file false reports, or… well you know, the list goes on.

      1. Very interesting. In fact, a Google search for Bahrain “National Institute of Human Rights” for all dates prior to 1st June produces absolutely nothing about this organisation (the ten results you do get are all in fact less than a day old).

        The ‘National Institute of Human Rights’ is also a body recently set up and appointed on April 26, 2010 by none other than King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa himself!

        Has the FIA been hoodwinked into thinking they’d talked to an independent organisation?

        1. Update: It seems the FIA can’t even get the name of the human rights body it spoke to correct. It’s not the ‘National Institute of Human Rights’, but is in fact officially known as the ‘National Human Rights Organisation’.

          Makes me wonder whether the “fact-finding mission undertaken at the request of FIA President Jean Todt, [when] FIA Vice President Carlos Gracia visited Bahrain on 31 May 2011 to assess the situation in the country” was at all robust or serious when it gets even basic ‘facts’ like this wrong.

          1. Makes me wonder whether the “fact-finding mission […] was at all robust or serious when it gets even basic ‘facts’ like this wrong.

            I think the words rubber and stamp apply here.

            1. How sad to see we are being fooled so easily here!

              Good job for showing this Maciek and Russel!

    89. Bahrain has been victimized by the sensationalization of news and from the reactions I’m seeing in these comments our reputation has been tarnished enough. This is an opportunity for all to see the truth of the situation that we who live here have been trying to prove. We thank the organizers for bringing F1 back to Bahrain and for the intentions behind it and we do believe that this will reunite us once again. Bahrain needs F1 to heal and people resisting this race are only contributing to the rift that has been caused by the unrest.

      1. If anyone’s watching, that is.

        In any case, you do NOT need F1 to heal. You need peace and justice. What can F1 give you that your people cannot do on your own? Surely you wouldn’t think yourself so low that you need a sport to heal your wounds for you?

      2. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 18:21

        Another government supporter! What are the chances?

    90. @ nasreen and the rest of your fake id’s over here. When there were discussions going on over here about whether or not to re instate bahrain there was not a whisper from you “bahranian’s” and when the decision is passed lo and behold, its raining bahranian’s. I may be gullible but I am most certainly not dumb. If your so convinced that bahrain is safe then you can sue the bbc and fill the grandstands with the rest of your fake id’s :P

      1. Let’s not jump to any rash conclusions with their IDs. Keith would know – he’s the only guy who can see their IP addresses.

        Might want to take a look at that, Keith.

      2. Actually I would take it as a complement. It shows at least the Bahrain government supporters are aware of us F1Fanatics largely disapproving of it going ahead.

        I would say, keep the comments coming in and show them we mean it.
        Great job for the blog Keith.

    91. hey Journeyer any idea how we can get a petition around to FOTA?

      1. There’s one floating out there somewhere.

        But honestly, I’m not sure how signing a petition helps at this point. The fans have been very clear to FOTA where they stand on this. They don’t need a petition telling them what they already know about us. Question is, what will they do about it?

    92. Mitz,
      Haha I only have one I’d here..

      I tweeted the link so lots of ppl responded..

      Not that bored!

      Jourenyer,
      I am not an F1 fan no, but I’m a fan of Bahrain and u r discussing Bahrain and politics here.

      1. Yeah Nasreen and I am the President of The USA , or i might even be bill gates,i would have at least have more money to grease bernies pocket and conjure up a lot of people to support my views too :P

      2. So why go to an F1 forum? There’s no point in supporting an F1 race in Bahrain if you don’t even care for the sport. As I mentioned in another comment, you don’t need F1 to solve your current problems. You have much bigger problems to solve than running an F1 race.

    93. Fawaz Ramadhan
      3rd June 2011, 18:27

      VIVA F1 VIVA BAHRAIN

      Thank you Thank you
      We truly appreciate it

      1. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 18:30

        Oh, look! Another one!

        Seriously, do you guys get paid for this? Do you have a meeting and decide which websites to troll?

      2. %!£@ you fawaz go to hell

      3. Well, please not that the rest of the world is not that happy about it. Think about that and have a look at independant media.

        Oh, and do you actually like F1, or are you here just to show your support for your country?

        1. This blog is one of the few place where people seem so ridiculously outraged. I have no idea why Bahrain gets picked on so much. They are hardly the worst country out of the current crop of host nations.

          Sure there are practial issues, but the only thing people seem to harp on and on is this false morality nonsense.

    94. I fail to see what F1 has to gain by going to Bahrain, and it has a lot to lose. I won’t be watching.

    95. Everyone attacks bernie and the FIA for holding this race. Let’s be real, they’re holding it due to money from TV and from the track organisers.

      If you really want to complain instead of being keyboard warriors, then I suggest you do not watch. Hit Bernie where it really hurts.
      Saying it’s a bad decision on forums etc. and then just going to watch it, and basically give Bernie more money is contradictory.

      For all those out there condemning the race being held, I emplore you to boycott watching it. Otherwise, you’re just as bad as the organisers, the Bahraini government, Bernie and the FIA.

      REFUSING TO WATCH THE RACE, AND NOT ATTENDING, ARE THE ONLY WAYS TO TRULY SHOW YOU ARE AGAINST THIS RACE BEING HELD.
      DON’T COMPLAIN ONLINE BUT THEN WATCH IT. MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

      1. Who says i am watching, i am making up my mind right now to stop watching the whole season

      2. As I said earlier, Bahrain will gladly pay whatever it takes to have an F1 race – even if we don’t watch it. So not sure that changes anything, either.

      3. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 18:47

        I will not watch the race on SPEED. I will not follow the live chat on this website. I will not participate in discussion on this website. I will not read any news article about the race.

        I will boycott it entirely.

    96. When even Jonathan Legard equates the Bahrain decision to hosting a race in Zimbabwe, you know just how ridiculous the situation is.

    97. Dear God,

      Please ensure that the current F1 championships are both settled by the end of November. That way I won’t have to miss the endings.

      Your pal,
      hey.

    98. Mitz,

      Yes I get paid 100 dollars per comment and 500 per ID.

      Also, I have 5 phone, 3 laptops and 2 ipads and no life.. Check with ur ip keith guy!

      Yeah and we have meetings every other day to target blogs and attack!

      Too funny!

      Seriously is it so difficult to believe there are happy bahrainis? Must we be paid to love our country?

      1. At least you have a sense of humour nasreen, i thought you were a nut case :P

      2. Nah, paid hacks don’t get paid anything like that. They get paid a LOT less.

        Keith guy? You mean the guy who owns the site? Show some respect.

        Fair point about the happy Bahrainis – even dictators have friends, after all.

      3. LOL, good one for having a sense of humour. Shame you are not an F1 fan.

        Oh and this keith guy, notice he is the editor of this blog and has gained quite some respect worldwide for running the F1Fanatic blog. About F1.

    99. Haha this race will end up the race where Vettel wins the Championship! and most people will refuse to watch it lmao!

      1. Not sure exactly what is funny about it…

    100. It is clear how Bahrain’s reputation got damaged because of the unrest and the misleading information circulating.

      Bahrain has been always known as the country of the friendliest people, and now it’s sad how forigieners are labeling us based on our loyality and which sect. we are from.

      I would like to say for anybody that is very sure of the info they have, please come here and see with your own eyes, and if you are intelligent enough form your own opinion of Bahrain.

      People in Bahrain are very happy because of the return of F1. Despite the economical benefits and how we it’s a way to show the world what the real Bahrain is, F1 gave people hope that they needed after a long period of hopeless wishes. Even the opposition parties wanted F1.

      All I hope right now, is for F1 to unite Bahrain. God bless you all.

      P.S.: I will not reply to any replies, sorry for the mistakes.

      1. Why do you write if you don’t want any replies???

        Bahrain used to be known for its very friendly people and its openness to the world, but that image all changed when the Bahraini government took the wrong decision on how to respond to a peaceful demand for citizen’s rights. What a shame, it really missed an opportunity.

    101. We want F1 back to Bahrain. Those who don’t want it are against Bahrain’s economy and against civilisation in general. They are Iran fans so why don’t they go and live there. F1 is back to Bahrain coz we – Bahrainis – are in support of our government who made our country very peaceful and safe place. Those who warned other people not to come to Bahrain are basically against everything in life but Iran.

      1. I thought china was the most populous nation in the world, at the moment from the way new Bahrainians are springing out i would say Bahrain is the most populous country :P and i am going to stop arguing with trolls. I ain’t watching Bahrain and May Bernie rot in hell

        1. Boohoo big loss for F1 :'(

      2. Sounds like something someone from the government would say.

        I’m not an Iran fan. I fact, I hate both your government AND Iran’s. Why? For not respecting everyone’s voice, that’s why.

      3. Those who don’t want F1 in Bahrein are “against civilisation in general”? You are quite a drama queen!

      4. As an Iranian I am pretty effing offended by your insinuation. To be perfectly honest, I’d get this sport and everyone out of the middle east because it’s a crazed wasteland, including your “beautiful country.” And trust me, if Bernie ever proposed an F1 race in Iran I’d be the first to oppose it.

    102. Mitz :p

      Journeyman,
      Sorry didn’t know him, no disrespect intended.

      Gotta go now, made my point here, another blog to troll ;)

      If ppl with similar views pop in here, its not going to be me, give them some slack :)

      1. Hahahaha! I find it more than funny that you acknowledge your trolling. I’ll give you props for that. :P

        1. Journeyer, I would say that you’re as guilty of trolling this comment section. I think you made your point that you didn’t want to hear the opinion of a Bahraini the first time, to be honest.

          I think the political situation in Bahrain is much more complex than we are giving it credit for. Having lived through the IRA years, I can see both sides of the argument. When anyone resorts to violence they lose their right to any sort of authority, in my opinion and both sides did this in Bahrain earlier this year. Both sides have done so for many years – go and learn a little bit about the history of Bahrain if you don’t believe me.

          Regardless of that, if someone purporting to be from Bahrain comes onto a site like this and says they’re happy that the race is happening and they want everyone to see their beautiful country, I don’t think they should be endlessly abused and slandered. Before you know it, you’re straying into the very same oppressive territory that you find so objectionable.

          Over and above that, the relationship between Bahrain and Iran is very very complex. I do believe that many Bahrainis feel threatened by Iran sponsored terrorism just like we do. As soon as you bring politics into sport, these sorts of complex issues get brushed to one side with headline busting posturing for one side or the other.

          I’m not saying the race should go there or not or that anyone can’t choose to go, to boycott or whatever. But bother to find out about the subject you’re all shouting about before you start shouting. And preferably stop shouting. And trolling

          Thanks

          1. hey! this was a lovely comment, and it clearly and politely addressed a lot of the things that have been bothering me in this conversation. thank you for taking the time to post it.

    103. this is pathetic, I really hope Fota pressure the FIA to overturn their decision.

      What really winds me up is the indian GP moved to the end of the season, im sorry but the last GP shud always be in Sao Paulo, always, this is 2 years in a row i have to watch a GP at a bloody Tilkedrome.

    104. Let’s se, who am I going to belive?

      Bahraini government PR + FIA PR + anonymous posters on the web, or

      Al Jazeera
      http://english.aljazeera.net/Services/Search/?q=bahrain
      + Amnesty International
      http://www.amnesty.org/en/ai_search?keywords=bahrain&op=Search&form_id=search_theme_form&form_token=0c3f7ec9526ceeb433af4ebdeb2128a6
      + Doctors withour Borders
      http://www.msf-me.org/en/search/index?q=bahrain&x=0&y=0
      + pretty much every other remotely reasonably reliable source of information over the past months… hmmm.

      1. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 19:33

        Clearly, you hate civilization and are an Iranian troll. LOL

        1. Hi MV Eilenstein.
          Please reference my post for Journeyer above
          Many thanks

          1. MVEilenstein
            3rd June 2011, 20:07

            I’m sorry you disagree. That does not make me a troll.

            Further, no one once mentioned Iran until these Bahrain boosters showed up extolling the virtues of their government.

            Again, disagreeing with them, even vehemently, does not make me a troll.

            1. Posting an agressive post after every single post you don’t like does, however.

    105. This is great, i was never interested in F1 but seeing how it beautifuly changed my country and it’s people during that particular weekend makes me sad not to see them this year. Oppositionists and protestors are exaggerating, we’ve all been wandering around the country since the state of national security has been lifted and have barely seen any violent clashes. They’re carrying out this media war becuase they want to ruin bahrain’s image in international media, we are safe and the terrorists are the oppositionists who killed, kidnapped, tortured, lied and fabricated are protesting and attacking the police. The government has been trying their best to restore security in the country, they’ve arrested those who attacked, riotted and terrorized people in addition to murderers and traitors. There’s no proof that prisoners have been tortured or killed. Please don’t blame our government for arresting them, think of what would your own countries do if people occupied on of the most vital locations in the country for over a month, attacked people because of their sects and origins, kidnapped, refused to treat ( also based on racist and secratrian reasons), barricaded the main streets causing fear and disorder and committed all kinds of atrocious acts against those of opposing opinions and those who’ve been recently naturalized!!
      Please evrybody be optemistic and hope this event restores bahrain’s unity and brings us all back together..

      1. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 19:35

        Wow! You government supporters are suddenly all over the place!

        Where were you three months ago?

    106. Faisal Alabsi
      3rd June 2011, 22:06

      Welcome Back F1 , all loyal Bahrainis signed for the grand prix to take place in bahrain and thank you FIA for bringing it back , the bahrain international circuit I’d the 1st country in the middle east to have the F1 race and its always beautiful for the people , teams and drivers , and bahrain has shown such a hospitality for all kind of people all around the world .
      We welcome F1 back with wide arms , and can’t wait for oct to go and attend the event

      ..

      1. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 22:20

        bahrain has shown such a hospitality for all kind of people all around the world .

        I think the Shia might disagree.

        1. When the guests start attacking the host, the hospitality sort of seems to disappear yes.

          1. I hope you aren’t suggesting that the Shia are ‘guests’ in bahrain?

            1. It’s the “guests” who are causing the unrest yes.

          2. Patrickl, the locals have been largely Shia for centuries now. Actually the Sunni came in later.

            And the government has been deliberately importing Sunni from arab countries as well as from Pakistan and Bangladesh amongs others to join the local police forces (Shia are not allowed in those) and have naturalized them to change the balance of Shia/Sunni muslims for some years now.

            1. Indeed, it’s the imported “guests” that are unhappy and feel the need for an uprising.

    107. If the British Government issue an official statement advising against travel to Bahrain, all the teams insurances will be cancelled for that event, and they will not go. And I hope that is what happens.

      1. of course, the best way to get an official travel advisory is for violence to flare up again unabated in bahrain. surely you don’t hope that happens just to get a race cancelled?

        also i believe f1 regulations require all circuits to provide insurance for all participants. i’ve been thinking about this too, recently, as a refusal to insure seemed like it would have been an elegant dodge for the wmsc, and i wondered how the circuit insurance requirement might figure in. but in the event that it would work, i wouldn’t hope for a deterioration of the situation in bahrain for the convenience of a bunch of f1 teams.

        1. No I do not wish harm on anyone in Bahrain, but it has already been said that the people will make the day of the race “a day of rage” in Bahrain, so if it does`nt escalate before then, it will probably escalate on the weekend of the race, then our favourite sport and all the people associated with it will be caught right in the middle of it, and who knows what will happen ? Best case scenario, its going to be messy, worst case scenario, it could be an absolute disaster, and I just want F1 to stay away from it, for its own safety.

          1. i’ve been worried about that, too. the “day of rage” is troubling; all i can hope is that the name is just as hyperbolic as much of the conversation on the topic has been, and that the protesters are sincere when they characterize themselves as “peaceful”.

            i was hoping the race wouldn’t be reinstated this year, but would still be back in its place next year, to allow the country a breather in order to sort itself. and i hoped the lack of reinstatement wouldn’t occur on “moral” grounds, as i think that bahrain is far from the worst place f1 races or has raced, and to draw the line there adds legitimacy to all the other nations and regimes where f1 is apparently happy to do business. to say, we stand with the bahraini protesters! is in effect to say, we stand with the chinese government! and that makes me even more nauseous.

            there were any number of graceful ways this could have been handled, but fia was determined not to avail itself of any one of them, and so now i just hope for the best: that the national dialogue is productive and brings about change that benefits everyone. that the protesters are in fact peaceful and not the same terrorists we’ve been hearing about for years in bahrain, nor being taken advantage of by those same terrorists. that the race goes off safely for all involved – teams, support staff and spectators, but also bahrainis wanting the life they had this time last year to return and bahrainis still needing their voices to be heard.

            crossing my fingers for a best case scenario.

    108. sid_prasher (@)
      3rd June 2011, 22:40

      Wow lots of views in here…

      First of all, the move to shift the Indian GP has messed up all my plans and that sucks. The weather in December can be a bit chilly (by our standards at least) and foggy and might not be conducive for the race.

      Really if Bahrain missed its slot, it should have waited its turn in 2012. The way FIA has gone out of its way to accommodate Bahrain is disappointing – its almost as if their balance sheets depended on it…

      Regarding the boycott issue, the whole of middle east is not democratic, China is not a democracy – if that is what influences the views of the fans, then we shouldn’t go to any of these places.
      The reason races are held at these places is IMO because F1 is not about political posturing.
      To me what is happening in Bahrain is an internal issue – a solution to which can not be forced upon by the west. We only need to look at Iraq for that.

      I am not aware if any government has taken a stand against the Bahrain king and directly supported the protesters by closing their embassy or issued security alerts – to expect that from an organization like FIA is illogical and i do trust that teams won’t go there if there is even an iota of concern regarding the safety of their crew.

      Apologies for the very long post.

      1. MVEilenstein
        3rd June 2011, 22:58

        we shouldn’t go to any of these places.

        I agree.

        1. sid_prasher (@)
          3rd June 2011, 23:12

          But we do…and why do we want FIA to act like a political entity when its not.

          …and a correction, travel advisory were issued but seems like they have been withdrawn.

          1. Exactly. If it was a question of human rights, there would be no f1 races in the middle east, none in china, there wouldn’t be one in Russia etc. etc. Therefore, as long as nobody else gets killed, and normalcy returns, why shouldn’t f1 go there? You never know, the gp may start to unite the people of Bahrain

    109. It would be nice to be free of the human dimension and just enjoy the sport but when I need someone, I always hope there’s someone there. I’d hate for F1 to represent the people that turned their back on those who’ve died for their right to freedom.

      Fortunately enough for Bahrain’s disgustingly murderous and unworthy leaders; they not only had Saudi Arabia to provide them with military support against their own subjects; but they now have Bernie Ecclestone to help the world forget their murders.
      Surely they can take the financial hit so that this sport can retain its good name?

    110. I don’t get why the we should bend over backwards for the Bahrain GP. Even if u take politics out no other race gets special treatment! I won’t be watching the race come October but since it’s the dullest race on the callendar it won’t be hard.. I could see the fuss over rescheduling monaco, San palo, monza etc if they missed it but not the GP that almost lost all fans in 2010 due to boredom..

    111. Well this makes for interesting reading:
      2004 news article

      1. sid_prasher (@)
        3rd June 2011, 23:06

        Interesting indeed!

    112. I thought teams were allowed to miss a certain amount of races per year before penalties would be imposed.

      I remember just recently one of the new teams missing the first couple of races and being told they could miss x amount of races before being penalised.

      1. I think that claim was later proven to be false. Wasn’t it Todt who said that if they even missed a single race they’d be in breach of contract?

        HRT went to Australia with a car that couldn’t race. They did fly out there to do a lap in each practice session to fullfill their legal obligations.

        1. Yeah, i am pretty sure its exaclty like that. It was USF1 talking about having the option to show up late and seeking the FIA’s consent to start their season only in Barcelona last year.

          Both Bernie and Todt were very clear from the onset that would not be happening.

      2. If I recall correctly, the whole reason Bonkers Bernie introduced the Concorde Agreement was because of the previous uncertainty of teams turning up on the grid. I think there’s a clause in it that means not turning up is not an option.

        However, I’d find it hard to believe there was also a clause in it that said the teams had to finish a race or be penalised…….

    113. Maybe on the podium they could spray the blood of the executed children.

    114. Terrible decision. I am not going to watch that race, even it decides the WDC. Let’s boycott !

      1. MVEilenstein
        4th June 2011, 0:58

        That’s no problem for me.

    115. Hypocrite: A person who professes certain ideals, but fails to live up to them.

      How many will there be on here come October 30th ?

      1. MVEilenstein
        4th June 2011, 5:49

        I don’t know. I won’t be around here to find out.

    116. I will watch the Bahrain GP simply because doing otherwise for political reasons means I’m a hypocrite.

      I do not have a good opinion with the government of Malaysia (bgovernment sanctioned racial discrimination) & China (all the human right abuses), but I still choose to watch the two races anyway because I’m cynical (me not watching not gonna stop all those problems). FIA itself don’t have problem in going to countries where major human right abuse is happening. If you really feel that strongly about human rights, you should not watch F1 as a whole in the first place.

      If we talk about security, we are about to have a race in South Korea, where it is still in a state of war, India where we have 3 ongoing armed conflicts (according to Wikipedia), one of them with 1000+ killed annually & Brazil where you always got F1 staffer being mugged year after year (Button last year everyone?). If we held Bahrain to a ridiculous standard where it have to guarantee the safety of everyone involved (including all media personnel and spectators), then we should also boycott these 3 races on the grounds of safety (which I do not see happening any time soon). If the situation in Bahrain on October deteriorates enough for Advisory Warnings to be issued (Real Threat) like in March, then cancel it on that ground, not based on “what ifs” (Imaginary Threat).

      Having said that, I do think that they should not have left the door open for a reinstatement in the first place. They missed their deadline, “Tough luck, see you next year” should be the response back in March (or was it February?). But the horse have bolted, they offered a reinstatement and the Bahraini government took that offer.

    117. Bad for me. I was planning to watch the INdian GP when I would be there on Diwali Festival.

      Bernie is an Ass****

    118. I wonder if all these people with a moral high ground realize the healing effect this will have on us…. Oh well more seats for other people :D

      1. I didn’t realise seats for the Bahrain GP were over-subscribed…… Or did you mean there would now be sooooo many spare seats that those few who did go would now be able to get five seats together so they could take a nap during F1’s most boring race?

    119. Interesting what Mosley has to say about the sponsors here

      By not running their liveries they would advertise themselves anyway.

      1. (Whilst still sending the right message)

    120. I was out if internet connection for sometime so can anyone tell me when will they host the Indian GP?

      1. Seems its not even decided yet for a date (probably because of having to bargain with the teams). But it should be either 4th of december or even 11th of December.

    121. Also, anyone that thinks Ferrari will be boycotting the race is two sandwiches short of a picnic.

      1. Why’s that? If you mean that Domenicali was at the WMSC meeting and voted in favour of reinstating Bahrain, then you’d be wrong. The rumours he voted are not true. He’s not on the Council (although a member of the Bahrain royal family is — Abdullah Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa , the second son of the present King of Bahrain. How convenient.)

        (BTW, with any other properly governed body (particularly a voluntary one, such as the FIA) this would have seen as a clear conflict of interest and he would have recused himself from voting. However, this was clearly not thought necessary with the FIA. Another black mark against Todt.)

        Or perhaps you meant that Ferrari is in bed with Bahrain money? Wrong again. If you were thinking of AMD, it’s Dubai’s Mubadala Development Company that owns 15.6% of Ferrari. No relation to Bahrain.

        So why do you make your assertion?

        1. Sorry, meant to say “’s Dubai’s Mubadala Development Company that owns 15.6% of AMD, who are a sponsor of Ferrari”.

        2. is vijay mallya still on the council? the whole indian gp subplot interests me. i was a bit indignant on their behalf when the idea of moving or cancelling their race was first floated, but more and more it seems that perhaps there was no reason for me to be.

          mclaren is the team with bahraini part-ownership, correct?

    122. Can’t really tolerate this. I won’t boycott just Bahrain, I’ll boycott the rest of the season. Yeah it’s just one viewer they will be losing but I won’t be losing my conscience for the sake of entertainment.

      Cheers, M8’s

    123. Good! The more races the better!

      1. Never mind the dead and a peace at the barrel of a gun… What ever gets your rocks off, is that what your’e saying?

          1. I suppose I’m reminded of the proverb “Answer a fool to his folly”

            Heil Hitler!

            Cheers

            1. I can’t believe that got through the filter.

            2. Yes Icthyes, I expected a ban on this one.

              Then again, a whole season of F1 isn’t worth one life, one vote or one web site.

              I love this site but I’m losing faith in F1

            3. Have to agree with Bernie on his point about him, he did an awfully good job at getting things done.

              But anyway, I like F1, I don’t care about what happens to Bahrain. More races = better. F1 could go to Yemen for all I care, as long as I get to watch cars on track I’m happy.

            4. Well cubejam I love F1, however, I love the controversy on the track not off the track.
              This race simply shouldn’t happen.

              If I went a bit over the top I apologise to another f1fanatic, but I can’t stomach this race.

              Cheers, Alex

    124. Im just sick of hearing about Bahrain

      1. nice avatar daniel

    125. Do anyone think decision may see the teams boycot the event? If a death or injury is recieved by a team member or staff of the event, can they sue Bernie for putting them in a dangerous situation?

      1. How about the people who are dead already?

      2. It’s possible. Williams said they were planning on missing it in March anyway.

    126. Nigelstash (@)
      4th June 2011, 13:41

      The best hope of sanity prevailing is through sponsor pressure. Come on Vodafone, Santander, Petronas and the rest – you don’t want to be associated with disgraceful decision.

    127. The lead story on Autosport is Webber criticising the FIA for reinstating the event.

      Though to be perfectly honest, I’m more interested in the drivers’ reactions to a twenty-one race calendar in 2012. I don’t mean to sound insensitive; it’s just that we’ve gone over the Bahrain arguments so many times that there’s nothing new to conribute to the discussion.

      1. we’ve gone over the Bahrain arguments so many times that there’s nothing new to conribute to the discussion.

        That doesn’t mean that the issue should go away.

        1. What are you suggesting? That we annoy the FIA into re-abandoning the event by repeating the same arguments over and over again?

          1. You say that like it’s a bad thing.

            1. It’s not as stupid an idea as trying to get the FIA to change their minds by attacking them with hummus, but you’re likely to lose their interest once you start going over the arguments for the second time.

            2. Hence, we are powerless over the FIA. It must be the way the people in Bahrain feel, powerless over their governing body. That’s a pretty normal thing untill it happens at the barrel of a gun. Perhaps we should arms ourselves to get the point across to the FIA?

              I don’t expect you to be an apologist for the whole world, but a bit of compassion and understanding is not really a bad thing.

    128. For what it’s worth,and if anyone is interested Avaaz is running a petition to the teams to boycott the race. I sure as heck wouldn’t want to shake hands or be photographed with anyone from that government.

    129. Why is there permanently a picture of Sebastian Bourdais on the bottom right of the webpage?

      1. emm… ‘hey’ meet Keith (like.. the nice chap that runs this website)

        1. To be fair, I went a fair few weeks without reading the thing and passively wondering about that. ;)

    130. I hope the drivers make a stand. THEY will gain respect from the majority of fans who will not be watching this particular race. I feel sorry for the people suffering in Bahrain, all the school kids being tortured, civilians bombed and shot and in mourning etc. also on a lesser scale but still relevant all the fans who have spent money to go to India only to find out now that race has changed date.

    131. oh pleasee! get off ur high horses already!!

      First of all stop politicizing sports. and dont be hypocrites. its too funny really.
      If we would object to have countries hosting sport events bases on their human rights violations, United States will never ever host a sports event for..hmm..where do we being..Patriotic Act, or GTMO, or Abu Ghuraib… do I really need to go on?

      Also China wouldnt have gone anywhere close to the Olympics..

      Before you start lecture other countries about virtures and ethics and human rights, check where your countries are rated..FYI Bahrain Human Rights record is better than the US, and one of the best top 10 in the world. Check the UN website..

      Besides, can Bahrainis please learn what an internal matter is? we are sick and tired of this matter being splashes all over every blog, site, newspaper.

      Every country has their own problems, let them speak to each other and figure it out, not use F1 and other similar events to seek more attention.

      and if ur still all high and mighty and is beyond ur ethics that F1 is happening.. please dont watch the race in October and spare us the headache.

      1. Hopefully the BBC will boycott too!

      2. here here. Although I think what is happening is dreadful, if we did base sports events on human rights records we’d ban more countries than we would allow. let politicians deal with politics and sports people deal with sport.

        1. You vote by watching then. Opinions vary or the forum wouldn’t exist. Are you really sure you want to leave everything to politicians ? I’m personally avoiding the politics and sticking to the morals on this one as I’m assuming this is about money.

        2. On the other hand if we banned more countries from sport because of their human rights violations perhaps in time we wouldn’t need to ban any country? Money talks and sport is money. Anyway, no one is talking about banning. The fact is the Bahraini government is murdering it’s own citizens in the street for doing something we all take for granted-our right to criticize and demand better. Is any race so important that that can be overlooked?

      3. The decision to reinstate the race is in itself a very clear political statement from the powers that be in our sport.

        If F1 was actually going to take a non-political stance on this then they would have graciously declined to bring the F1 media circus to Bahrain this year.

      4. FYI Bahrain Human Rights record is better than the US, and one of the best top 10 in the world. Check the UN website..

        I did. You lie.

        Searching for ‘Bahrain’ on the OHCHR website, the first article has this headline: “Broken promises in Bahrain – UN experts question Government’s human rights commitments”.

        Bahrain’s record on human rights has been described by Human Rights Watch as “dismal”.

        For the facts, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Bahrain .

        For more trolling from Bahraini shills, just scroll down these posts.

    132. racerdude7730
      4th June 2011, 15:30

      I dont know if anyone will agree with me on this but i think its great that they put the race back into the schedule for this year. Hear me out on this, the reason why i am happy about this is not because i wanted to see a race there but because as everyones been saying about how the f1 teams needed to make a statement about the race. The teams saying no would have not made a statement at all but i feel that now that the race is back on the f1 teams can make a huge statement by not showing up or refusing to race. Thats a much much bigger statement then a no. what do you think?

      1. Exactly! and the fans can vote too by not watching.

    133. If you are a facebook user and you are against the race in Bahrain, please join the facebook group http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bring-Moral-Accountability-to-Formula-1-Boycott-Bahrain-Grand-Prix/188401241200832

    134. feck you British made slaves of third world countries and you talk about of human rights lol

    135. There’s a far simpler reason why the Bahrain GP shouldn’t be reinstated. The WMSC wouldn’t extend this courtesy to an end-of-season race. Say we found out in October that the Brazilian GP couldn’t go as per schedule, but it would be okay to go racing there 6 months later. There’s no way that they’d stick the 2011 Brazilian GP in the middle of the 2012 calendar.

      Bahrain shouldn’t get special treatment just because it’s the first race on the schedule.

      1. That has to be the silliest argument of them all. Kudos.

        1. And it’s silly why? If the race can’t go ahead within a month of the scheduled date it should be dropped. And what happens in 2014 if none of the current races are dropped and the Russian GP is added as well? How do you squeeze a race late into a 22 round season?

    136. As a South African I have mixed feelings about reinstating the Bahrain GP. F1 was very quick to boycott us, regardless that the majority of us fans were in no way endorsing the policies of the government of that time. Politics v fans….morals v money…..

    137. Well, the British GP went ahead in 1972. Anyone remember what happened in Britain that year?

      1. i wondered if i was the only who was thinking about this.

    138. sherif zeen
      5th June 2011, 12:58

      from what i see in the comments i want to say its a game so lets not get it into another subject , for me F1 has been always my dream and having it in Bahrain is like my dream come true, im Egyptian who lives in Bahrain and i know for a fact that Bahrain is very safe place to be in , ppl is so friendly and you are welcome everywhere ,the protests has stopped two months ago and everything has come back to normal.
      we will be waiting you all in October and its a chance to see my beloved Bahrain , sure you will love it as much as we all do.

      1. Are there people been held in detention?

        Has the international media effectively been barred from entering and reporting on Bahrain?}

        Has there been any arrests in the last week?

        Sadly, I have seen evidence to suggest to me that all the answers are yes.

        1. Sadly, I have seen evidence to suggest to me that all the answers are yes.

          The answer to all three was most definitely ‘Yes’ in China too!

          1. All International media was barred from entering China in the last year? Last two years? Last decade?

            China has committed a lot of human rights violations, but the country hasn’t been in a state of emergency or enforced a media blackout in the last few years. It can’t be compared to the current situation in Bahrain.

    139. Booooooooo!!!!

      I don’t care if it is the title deciding race for the season (i strongly hope this is not the case), but i will not be watching this joke of a race, at a joke of a track, at a sad miserable joke of a country.

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