Bahrain GP situation: postponed, reinstated, cancelled

[ringo]

I think that Bahrain problem is being kept under the rug, not because of Bahrain's importance, but because of it's neighboring Saudi Arabia. I think that west, especially US fear of success of revolution in Bahrain, that could motivate people in SA and some other countries to try the same. West is tolerating absolutely everything that is done in SA and similar monarchy regime to their citizens, because they are oil and military allies. Loosing SA as an alley, would me global turn around for the US and NATO. That is why by my opinion small Bahrain nation is being kept in the dark, while UK sells arms to their tyrant. Fortunately, sometimes history makes surprises even to most powerful and reassured ones.

After reading statements from Mclaren, Ferrari and Red Bull bosses, I can say that I'm hugely disappointed by modern F1. They are either scared to death to be in the middle of it, and just hope to pull trough the weekend, after being naive or whatever to go down there at all, or they have no virtues at all.

I'm even more disappointed that not a single driver has raised his voice and said "This is not good, we shouldn't be here, let's pack our bags". Unfortunately, none of modern drives has any authority, they are all replaceable, highly payable, and they will hardly ever have better chance to gain some, than today or tomorrow. It takes just one line spoken to TV camera by any of known drivers to launch unstoppable boycott of whole paddock.

Just one "I'm not going to race, I respect will of people of Bahrain". It would be something, wouldn't it? I can cross my fingers and hope for Kimi to say something like this. Can't see any other driver having integrity and guts for such move. If we had Villeneuve, Senna, Hunt and any of other legendary drivers who spoke their mind without help of personal assistants, this PR corporate suck-up BS would collapse like a card-tower.

Show me one country that has zero problems in the world. Surely no European country!
No point in this "I'm not going to race, I respect will of people of Bahrain".
We don't know who these people are!! You don't know them, you don't know their intentions. Secondly kimi doesn't give a rat's navel if you ask me.

I see your point with the US and NATO, but F1 is not that pivotal. Secondly those concerns dont really help us, regardless of the outcome. It's just means more military spending, and the contractors eat some food. It has little or nothing to do with us. We'll just feel it in our gas prices and taxes.

F1 is a weekend. It will blow off and it will be like it never happened. It's highly negligible in the grand scheme of things you are conjuring.

[JimiJams]

The main stream media stopped reporting on Bahrain not long after last years GP cancellation. When it was announced that F1 will race there it created an uproar. Now if you check almost any major news network you will see some mention of Bahrain, none of which seem to be in favor of F1 or the Bahrain regime. People can say what they want about F1, FIA, or Bernie but it seems without them Bahrain would have withered into obscurity and the protesters would have been forgotten by most of the world.

I'll be watching the race cheering on Mark and Kimi, and I'll be doing so with a clean conscious.

[raymondu999]

Politics is not my forte. I get more than enough of that through the office. But personally I think the F1 race changes nothing whether or not it is held - except that the F1 circus (mechanics, principals, engineers, drivers etc) are closer to harm. Other than that I don't think it really changes anything.

The golf tournament didn't. F1 probably won't either.

I doubt the F1 folks would get hurt either; except if they were at the wrong place at the wrong time, like Force India found themselves. Several of the protest leaders have publicly said that F1 and their people are innocent in the light of their protests, and so they will not be harmed by the protesters. And I believe them.

[vikram_d]

Is it just me or does anybody else also think that this thread will be forgotten as soon as the race ends?

[raymondu999]

I share that view. I think Ringo probably does too.

[JimiJams]

It will likely be forgotten by the next race unless a major catastrophe occurs.

[myurr]

Monaco - no army, no wars, no invasions, no murders, no human rights violation, no poverty, no huger.

The playground of the rich and famous where they go to shelter their money from helping the people they relied upon to get rich in the first place. There will be plenty of people that believe Monaco should not be able to provide a tax shelter to the super rich.

Monaco is also a country with a powerful royal family who share their power with an elected government, rather than a truly democratic state. Just because you agree with the royal families political views doesn't mean that they are any more democratic than any other nation.

These are just the controversies that I can think of, I'm sure throughout the world there will be others with much stronger views.

I think others have already addressed all your other points.

[raymondu999]

I thought the Monacon royal family held no governmental power? I thought they were just... there, with the government taking the reins. I could be wrong.

[myurr]

A first Constitution of Monaco was adopted in 1911 and a new one, awarded by Prince Rainier III on December 17, 1962, outlines legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government, which consist of several administrative offices and a number of councils. While having relinquished some of his formerly absolute power, the Prince of Monaco remains head of state and retains most of the country's governing power; however, the principality's judicial and legislative bodies may operate independent of his control.

The prince also personally chooses the Minister of State.

[manchild]

Ecclestone colleague Lattuneddu close to Molotov cocktail

Apr.21 (GMM/Inautonews.com) The actual flames of Bahrain’s unrest have touched yet another member of the formula one fraternity.

It has already emerged that Force India and Sauber team personnel, driving in hired vehicles en route from the circuit to their hotels, have come close to the Molotov cocktails being thrown by protesters.

Germany’s Bild newspaper reports that the latest figure to come face to face with the controversial off-track action this weekend is Pasquale Lattuneddu, the well-known right-hand man of F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

The report said a Molotov cocktail exploded close to Lattuneddu’s car as he witnessed a clash between young rioters and police.

He would not confirm or comment.

Bild also reported that Michael Schumacher, despite publicly backing the Bahrain grand prix on several occasions, has moved to a “secret” location that is “protected by barbed wire” for the rest of the weekend.

Media reports say the 2012 event at Sakhir has quickly become the most controversial event in F1’s long history.

“The worst case scenario?” speculated Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary from the Persian Gulf state. “It doesn’t bear thinking about.

“But it could mean (Jean) Todt and (Bernie) Ecclestone are gored on the horns of a dilemma of their own making.”

Other first-hand observers are less worried.

“So far my picture of Bahrain is different from what the news agencies painted and what was said in the paddock in Malaysia and China,” wrote O Estado de S.Paulo correspondent Livio Oricchio.

“At least with the information I have, the scenario is less tense than it seemed. But, you know, anything can happen. Hopefully not.”

[manchild]

Bernie's financial interest is not even worth mentioning as reason why GP had to go ahead no matter what. When one reads this it's all becoming clear. I had no idea about Bahrain being 5th fleet base. That's why revolutionists in Lybia were supported while those in Bahrain aren't.

Letter to the Editor

Bahrain is serious about reform

Published: April 20

In its April 14 editorial “Bahrain’s slow burn,” The Post retreated to a false correlation between the situation in Bahrain and that in other Middle East countries experiencing unrest.

The editorial dismissed the steps that Bahrain has undertaken to enact meaningful security reform. With the help of former Miami police chief John F. Timoney, Bahrain has developed a police code of conduct, installed video cameras in all interrogation rooms and accelerated the retraining of thousands of police. These changes are only a down payment on the full reform program Bahrain has committed to.

The Post also seems to cling to the notion that the situation in Bahrain is characterized by a “pro-democracy” majority fighting an oppressive government. It ignores the information that journalists are finally reporting about the anti-democratic views of much of the opposition and the use of violence by small groups of demonstrators. Students of history should not be surprised by this: Radical oppositionists traditionally seek to sharpen divisions because they hope to thrive in a polarized environment.

The United States and Bahrain have been friends and allies for decades. During this time of turmoil, Bahrain has valued the United States’ counsel and accepts the harsher words that sometimes urge us to do better.

Bahrain is moving forward, but we recognize that our citizens may be disappointed with the pace of change. The government is working hard to continue reform that addresses the legitimate aspirations of all of Bahrain’s people.

Houda Nonoo, Washington

The writer is Bahrain’s ambassador to the United States.

Naval Support Activity Bahrain

Type United States Navy Main Operating Base

Built Refurbished in 1997; Major renovations in 2003, 2006, and 2010-2015
In use 1971-Present

Current owner United States with authority from Bahrain

Controlled by United States Navy

Garrison U.S. Fifth Fleet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Fifth_Fleet

Garrison/HQ Naval Support Activity Bahrain

UK's Cameron backs Bahrain F1

London: 32 minutes ago

British Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday defended Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix, saying that "Bahrain is not Syria".

"We should be clear: Bahrain is not Syria; there is a process of reform underway," he said in a statement published in newspapers and posted on British websites.

Reacting to calls of the Shadow Government and the Labour leader for the race to be called off, Cameron reaffirmed his government's support for Bahrain's reform process.

"This government backs that reform and wants to help promote that reform," he added.-TradeArabia News Service

[andartop]

I think the real question here is not whether the race should have been cancelled like last year but whether a race should have ever been organized in a state like Bahrain in the first place. Wikipedia gives an overview of the political situation there, which may not be 100% unbiased, but if anyone has a more reliable source please share:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain#Al ... he_British

It begs the question why should F1 stage a race in a state like this other than for financial, commercial and political reasons in the first place? Please note the active role British interests have had in the region for the last 200 years. Therefore, all the arguments about F1 being a "sport" and having nothing to do with politics are invalid by default in my opinion.

For those who are labeling the protesters as "terrorists", I fully agree that targeting innocent bystanders is plain wrong, but this is the nature of conflict, always has been and always will. Were the Bahrainis who were trying to get rid of the British "pimps" 100 years ago terrorists as well? It seems that post 9/11 it has become too convenient to label as a terrorist anyone who is fighting for anything other than established interests.

Where do F1 teams stand in the middle of all this? Well, teams are businesses, and as such have contractual agreements they are bound to. Had the foreign office issued advice against visiting Bahrain they would have had some legal grounds not to attend the race had they so wished. As it is, I don't think they are "allowed" not to attend the race if a race is going ahead.

Would the foreign office issue such advice now? Does this mean Bahrain is safe? Is the advice coming from the foreign office to be trusted or does the foreign office have a political agenda? D'oh!

I am not surprised the race is going ahead, and I am not surprised that F1 is serving political purposes. What I find shocking is that there are people who still believe F1 is a sport!

[myurr]

Believing that F1 is a sport and believing that it should be are two different things. I believe in the latter and thus try to judge it as such whenever possible, including when I criticise the 'powers that be' when they do not act in the interests of the sport. The handling of the concorde agreement being the most recent example of abuse.

Yes there are political elements to the sport, and I wish there weren't. Adding additional ones such as judging which regimes across the grid do and do not deserve a grand prix shouldn't be considered a wise course.

But for me the single most important point that no one has been able to counter across 57 pages now is that without the grand prix the protests in Bahrain would be widely ignored by the west. In the year since last years grand prix was cancelled how much interest has there been in the country or its internal problems? None that I saw until the decision to go ahead with the race this year.

And it is that beacon of light that F1, and sport in general, should be bringing to the repressed people across the world. Had the race simply been cancelled then there would have been an article or two about that but then the country would have been forgotten again. I fail to see how that is in the protestors best interests or how it eases their plight.

[andartop]

But for me the single most important point that no one has been able to counter across 57 pages now is that without the grand prix the protests in Bahrain would be widely ignored by the west. In the year since last years grand prix was cancelled how much interest has there been in the country or its internal problems? None that I saw until the decision to go ahead with the race this year.

And it is that beacon of light that F1, and sport in general, should be bringing to the repressed people across the world. Had the race simply been cancelled then there would have been an article or two about that but then the country would have been forgotten again. I fail to see how that is in the protestors best interests or how it eases their plight.

You are right but you are wrong as well.

How do you define and how do you quantify western "interest" in Bahrain? Are you talking about media interest? Human rights groups interest? UN or EU interest? Average Joe interest? Last years' cancellation of the Bahrain GP was also in the news everywhere, from sport related internet forums to yahoo and from the BBC news broadcast to free metro newspapers. You are right that this interest didn't last long. What makes you think western interest will last longer this time around after the race has taken place?

As others have explained F1 found itself in a situation where any decision would have been political. It was just made so as to seem that by staging the race F1 would be supporting the regime and by cancelling the race F1 would be showing disbelief to the regime's reassurances that everything is under control. So, the question was never whether F1 would or should take sides, but whose side it would take. The decision was always going to be dictated by political interests. F1 has already made a decision the first time it visited Bahrain.

Sports and politics have always gone hand in hand. During the ancient Olympic games there would be a truce to allow athletes to participate safely, and conflicts would resume after the games. Now it's the other way around: there is no truce whatsoever, and F1 is being called to show there is no conflict.

[sAx]

But for me the single most important point that no one has been able to counter across 57 pages now is that without the grand prix the protests in Bahrain would be widely ignored by the west.

I believe that this is precisely the point and it has not been lost on the naysayers in this thread. The issues in Bahrain are been widely ignored by the western media, in addition F1 in the guise of a sport played out on average 1.5hrs every two weeks, is ill equipped to show any additional concern as it is a global corporate business, whose unique selling proposition is the global branding of corporate product. Bahrain with or without the grandprix, will not change the political situation on the ground, so once again my view is that the major responsibility of FOM has been evaded here.

Note too Mr E's wish for an earthquake in another part of the world, so the media can focus on the aftermath of natural disaster and leave the BIC to focus on Sunday's entertainment. I wonder the view of the FIA had that comment left a drivers mouth.

sAx