Kewee
Race Winner
Don't be silly. He'll send everyone else there and stay at home where it's safe and watch it on TV .
Bahrain GP Debate
- Thread starter apoland
- Start date
Don't be silly. He'll send everyone else there and stay at home where it's safe and watch it on TV .
I guarentee you that if F1 does race in Bahrain this year Bernie will be there, front and centre, from the start of race weekend to the time he normally clears off, which is about an hour before the race finishes. Bernie Ecclestone may be many things but being a coward is not one criticism I would ever level at him.
From what I can gather, it's Todt and the FIA that are insistent this race goes ahead. Bernie doesn't care one way or the other, as long as he can extort the promoters fee like he did last year.
Kewee
Race Winner
I'm not suggesting he's a coward, just that he would exercise some common sense, as would anyone when they're contemplating traveling to that part of the world. Have you ever been caught up in troubles like that? I have. Not easy just to hop on a plane and leave when it gets a little hot for you. Not quite sure how you would guarantee the safety of the entire F1 circus.
If F1 goes to Bahrain I'm certain Bernie will be there. I agree that anyone going there at the moment would be pretty, bloody stupid but cricketers have played in Pakistan and had terrorist attacks, footballers have been shot in Africa and F1 has raced in some pretty dodgy places - Argentina back in the 70's springs to mind.
To say nothing of your own private airfield. Oh, sorry, they don't have a lot of fields in Bahrain do they?It probably is when you have your own plane?
This is Fangio paying his kidnappers a friendly visit in the 1980s.
Back on topic, if F1 visits Bahrain then with journalists swarming all over the island, the authorities must be on their best behaviour, and protesters voices will be heard worldwide.
landogeorgelewis1
Champion Elect
Because it isn't Christmas
- Well Christmas is only 10 months and 10 days to go 
, hopefully Bernie will give us and early one 
.
Kewee
Race Winner
It probably is when you have your own plane?
Yes, that will get the personal out with a little luck but you'll never transport tones of equipment and cars to the next GP in one of those. Oh well they may have to cancel the next two GP's while they resolve the problem.
One thing I feel very strongly about is that sport should never be used as a political platform if you do so then an international sport such as F1 would never go anywhere in the world, all countries including the UK have and have had human rights issues, nobody is blameless.
America has one of the worst records in history only recently they locked people up with no evidence and no right of appeal (Guantanamo Bay) they want to incarcerate a young brit for life because he showed them up in front of the world by hacking into the pentagon using a modem and an old linux computer yet I don't hear anyone saying lets not race in the USA.
F1 races in Japan and China which are dictatorships. so what is the big fuss about Barhain? It's no more dangerous to go there for the teams and drivers than it is for them to go to Interlagos surely you remember the Jenson and Lewis car jacking episode, at what other venue is it necessary to transport the drivers by armored limousines driven by highly trained escape drivers?
By going to Barhain Formula one isn't condoning what's happening there because sport is not a political weapon and should remain that way.
America has one of the worst records in history only recently they locked people up with no evidence and no right of appeal (Guantanamo Bay) they want to incarcerate a young brit for life because he showed them up in front of the world by hacking into the pentagon using a modem and an old linux computer yet I don't hear anyone saying lets not race in the USA.
F1 races in Japan and China which are dictatorships. so what is the big fuss about Barhain? It's no more dangerous to go there for the teams and drivers than it is for them to go to Interlagos surely you remember the Jenson and Lewis car jacking episode, at what other venue is it necessary to transport the drivers by armored limousines driven by highly trained escape drivers?
By going to Barhain Formula one isn't condoning what's happening there because sport is not a political weapon and should remain that way.
Not going to disagree with anything there Mephisto apart from the fact that Japan is a democracy. A one party democracy I'll admit but a democracy none the less. Unless you count having an Emperor as a dictatorship in which case the UK is also a dictatorship with our lovely Queen and the succession of hereditary rulers we have to look forward to following her.
Yes of course sorry about the Japan thing I'm sure David Camaron would like to have nobody to stand against him in an election after all "we are in this together"
Kewee
Race Winner
I think it's more a case of personal safety in this case. As far as believing sport should never be used as a political platform, I agree in part. Unfortunately the leaders of the regimes the West choose to play sport with often don't think like us and use international sport to promote themselves whether we like it or not. I was living in London during the Springbok tour of New Zealand and the rioting that caused. I was for the tour going ahead for the same reasons we are discussing here. In hindsight I'm proud of the role New Zealand, played along with other countries, in isolating South Africa, which played a major part in the collapse of apartheid. It's a sad fact but sport cannot stand apart from politics, and we're naive to believe it can or should.
The main problem that the F1 circus has is that is very much involved with the Royal Family, as a result it has a very apparent political affiliation
, so this isn't the continuation of the peolple's entertainment, it's a statement and a target.
Because of the way in which F1 has sold itself to these "emerging" countries it will be allied to the ruling parties for some time and will have to respect and understand the associated implications.
Is it safe to bring 1,000 people into a country rebelling against the people sponsoring them?
Hell no!
, so this isn't the continuation of the peolple's entertainment, it's a statement and a target.
Because of the way in which F1 has sold itself to these "emerging" countries it will be allied to the ruling parties for some time and will have to respect and understand the associated implications.
Is it safe to bring 1,000 people into a country rebelling against the people sponsoring them?
Hell no!
Kewee
Race Winner
Well said and very true GeoffP.
LifeW12
Podium Finisher
If the Bahrain race was a special event with atmosphere, the track and good crowd turnouts we'd all be wanting it back. But its not and its really an embarrasment for F1 that the long established events (Belgium, France, even Britain for a while) are removed from the calendar and replaced with events where no-one turns up and the track is rubbish.
Similar threads
- Article
- Article
- Article
