ringo wrote:manchild wrote: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.