Bernie Ecclestone, of all people, has urged the teams to demand a re-vote on Bahrain, suggesting things in the country aren’t as ‘rosy’ as reported by the FIA.
It is understood that the F1 mogul has been engaged in urgent discussions on the matter, speaking to the teams on Monday night.
This throws some confusion over the decision as Ecclestone has always been behind the decision to resinstate the grand prix, however upon hearing about the continued protests and human rights’ violations, he believes the race should be postponed until the very end of the season, and if necessary, cancelled.
“We listened to that report from the FIA and that was saying there were no problems at all in Bahrain,” Ecclestone told the Times newspaper. “But that is not what I am hearing and I think we can see that we need to be careful.”
“The way things are at the moment, we have no idea what is going to happen. [It’s] better that we move Bahrain to the end of the season and, if things are safe and well, then that is fine, we can go. If they are not, then we don’t go and there are no problems,” said the 80-year-old.
He once again ruled out that the decision has been reached because of the financial implications and suggested a re-vote could take place by fax.
“The money makes no difference,” added Ecclestone.” Money is not the issue here. It is whether it is safe and good to have a race, that is the issue.
“We can change this October 30th date by having a vote by fax if necessary. It can be done, and fast.”
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