Much has been written about the Bahrain Grand Prix and whether it should, or should not go ahead. The list of those calling for the event to be cancelled is steadily growing, but as of yet, nobody with any real power has added their name to it.
Indeed an anonymous team principal has admitted he, and the majority of the grid don’t want the race to go ahead, but by remaining anonymous, the claims don’t hold the same power they would if they came openly.
I believe the race will go ahead, not because it’s the right thing, but because nobody wants to make that decision – to cancel it.
The buck is being passed like a relay baton, in a race between Bernie Ecclestone, the teams, the FIA and the Bahrain organisers.
Ecclestone, who can ultimately make the decision if he wanted to, but doesn’t because he stands to lose the most, has put pressure on the teams, organiser and FIA to make the decision.
“At this time, there are no indications it won’t go ahead,” he told the BBC, before claiming: “It’s really not up to me to decide whether it should go ahead or not.
“It’s up to the people in Bahrain to decide. At this time, they are not cancelling the event, so presumably they are happy.
“We can’t force teams to take part. They would be in breach of contracts with [F1] if they didn’t, but we would deal with that matter as a separate issue.”
The teams, or seven of them (Caterham, Force India, Lotus, Marussia, McLaren, Mercedes and Williams) represented by FOTA, claim in a statement that they have no power to cancel the race – which is true, but they could boycott it, but they won’t.
“There’s been some media speculation recently to the effect that the teams may seek to cancel this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix,” it read.
“That wouldn’t be possible. Teams are unable to cancel grands prix. We race in an international series called the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, and it is therefore for the FIA to offer the teams guidance on these issues.”
Read that last part again. “It is therefore for the FIA to offer the teams guidance on these issues.” The FIA holds the most power. They’re there to ensure safety, not just on the track, but off it as well.
Despite this, where is the FIA getting its information from?
“The FIA is constantly monitoring and evaluating the situation in the Kingdom of Bahrain. We are in daily touch with the highest authorities, the main European embassies and of course the local promoters at BIC (Bahrain International Circuit) as well as the international promoter,” a spokesperson told Reuters.
“The FIA is the guarantor of the safety at the race event and relies, as it does in every other country, on the local authorities to guarantee security. In this respect we have been repeatedly assured by the highest authorities in Bahrain that all security matters are under control.”
That’s right, the FIA is getting its information from the local authority and organisers – both of which are controlled by the government. This is a government which owns the circuit.
Crown Prince, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, initiated the construction of the circuit and through a government owned company, Mumtalakat Holdings, funded the construction. Mumtalakat also owns 50% of the McLaren Group, which includes the F1 team.
Bahrain has much to lose from not hosting the race. It’s estimated that F1 contributes $300-400 million annually to the Bahrain economy – a significant amount for a tiny island with a population of just over 1.2 million.
Ecclestone says it’s down to the teams and the FIA. The teams say it’s down to Ecclestone and the FIA. The governing body is taking responsibility, but relying on information from a government which will never cancel an event of such importance.
This toing and froing, denial of responsibility and blind ignorance to events taking place, mean the event is unlikely to be cancelled, even if it should be, but we’ll let you make your own mind up as to whether it’s right to race in Sakhir.
