A team from the Porsche Supercup, a supporting series during the upcoming Grand Prix of Bahrain this weekend has cancelled its participation in the race, outing its doubts about the safety at the middle-east country.
Button could give them a ride, since he was told by FIA that everything is safe, but because of all that safety, he is taking opportunity to practice for triathlon, cycling and running on his way to hotel. Unlike Button, Jean Todt could give a ride on his scooter to at least one their team members.astracrazy wrote:andrewbensonf1
Bernie Ecclestone rings me to say he offered to stay at track with Force India and travel back unescorted with them at any time #BBCF1 @andrewbensonf1 20 minutes ago
It's more a reflection on the nature of the media than anything to do with their core beliefs.Hail22 wrote:Good on them, so they should of walked away
BBC wrote:Sauber have released this statement: "Yesterday (Thursday) night at 2030 (local time) a minibus of the Sauber F1 Team had left the circuit to go back to the Novotel in Manama. At 2050 (local time) the 12 mechanics being on that bus noticed fire on the medial strip of the highway. The traffic was slow, cars had their hazard flashers on. On the opposite lane there was no traffic. The team members saw a few masked people running from there over to their lane where a bottle was burning as well. The mini bus moved to the very right side of the highway and went passed the situation. No one from the Sauber F1 Team was hurt."
BBC wrote:Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley: "We've got a rescheduled programme in place to give emotional support to the team. There's a balance between making sure we're meeting the needs of the team for a fully supported Bahrain Grand Prix. We're running a full programme for qualifying and the race."
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story...richard_leeds wrote:The circuit isn't deserted. Here's the queue for Kimi's signature
http://pic.twitter.com/jo883OEc
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98991 wrote:
Ecclestone unmoved by safety concerns in Bahrain as Force India pulls out of practice
By Jonathan Noble Friday, April 20th 2012, 11:37 GMT
Bernie Ecclestone remained unmoved about safety concerns in Bahrain on Friday - despite Force India's withdrawal from second free practice because of worries from its personnel about leaving the Sakhir track after dark.
Amid concerns in the paddock about the situation outside the circuit – with Sauber now also confirming that some of its personnel witnessed an incident involving masked protestors on Thursday night as they returned to Manama – Ecclestone said it was not in his power to cancel the race.
"I can't call this race off. It is nothing to do with us, the race," he told reporters in the Bahrain paddock.
"We are here, we have an agreement to be here and we are here. The national sporting authority in this country can ask the FIA if they want to call the race off."
Ecclestone said he did not understand why Force India was so worried about safety – and that he had personally offered to drive with the team from the circuit if they wanted reassurance.
"They have asked and been told they can have security if they want it," he said. "I don't know if people are targeting them for some reason, I don't know – I hope not because none of the other teams seem to have a problem.
"So maybe they have had a message and are being targeted for something – it may be nothing to do with being in this country, maybe it is something else."
A Brazilian journalist confirmed that he too had witnessed police firing tear gas at protestors on the main road between the circuit and Manama on Thursday evening.
Ecclestone also reckons the huge media coverage the safety situation at the Bahrain event was generating was the result of journalists stirring things up.
"You guys love it," he told journalists. "What we really need is an earthquake or something like that, so you can write about that now.
"I think you guys want a story and it is a good story. And if there isn't a story you make it up as usual. So nothing changes."
Surely if most people don't understand the underlying stimulus for the cause, how could they come to any conclusion about the protesters effects?GrizzleBoy wrote:The protesters are slowly turning into terrorists.
Even if that's not the case, all violence will do is give people around the world watching this spectacle that exact feeling towards them, especially when it's mostly people just doing their job that are/have been affected.
I appreciate you trying so hard but that galleria has no comparable shots. The only picture showing the grandstand is either before or after the practise. I think it is after because that was the time they did all the driver pictures. Bahrain at the time was the first GP of the year and they did all the season opener foto work. Naturally the grandstand will be deserted when there is no show.myurr wrote:Likewise the couple of shots on the F1 website showing the grand stands on the Friday from 2010 show that the grand stands are similarly empty. But that doesn't support the narrative that some members would like the rest of the world to pay attention to. http://www.formula1.com/gallery/race/20 ... riday.html
