Would you race in Bahrain?

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Quite a pickle that Bernie and the CVC boys have gotten their F1 circus into.

Cancelling this GP would be tantamount to an admission that the Formula One experiment in the desert has been an abject failure. It is also a signal to the rest of the world that the ruling party in Bahrain should be / will be deposed. If the government cannot provide adequately secure conditions for a car test / motor race, I don't see any way they could remain in power for very much longer. Honestly, if negative TV coverage is considered a severe threat to the ruling structure, this is admitting that the structure is resting on a foundation of sand (literally and figuratively), just waiting to crumble.

I have to believe that Crown Prince Khalifa is telling Bernie that he wants the race to go ahead as scheduled. I have to believe that Bernie is looking for a way to get paid in full without having to travel anywhere near the region. I have to believe that the teams are starting to wonder why they followed Bernard down this gluttonous path of awarding Grands Prix to the highest bidder, regardless of the racing heritage / fanbase a country might enjoy.

Ecclestone has made this bed. Now he should lye in it. The implications of this race not being held are enormous, for both Formula One and the world. If Bahrain does not host the 2011 GP, then the 2010 edition will probably have been its last.
 
Now he should lye in it
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Possibly the most appropriate typo I've ever seen
biggrin.gif


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lye
 
Talking of head in the sand, the BBC report on the tele included the sentence.
This isn't about poverty, as there isn't any, it's about rights...
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God bless the BBC for their insightful and unbiased view and reporting of the Middle East. :givemestrength:
 
snowy said:
Talking of head in the sand, the BBC report on the tele included the sentence.

This isn't about poverty, as there isn't any, it's about rights...
Click to expand
God bless the BBC for their insightful and unbiased view and reporting of the Middle East. :givemestrength:
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Is there anywhere where you can say there is literally no poverty?
 
Chad Stewarthill said:
May be no bad thing, for lovers of Formula 1 or for the people of Bahrain.
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You're absolutely right. In the long run, this may be exactly the kind of thing that F1 needs. Being forced to cancel a GP on the grounds that the ruling Government is incapable of providing a secure environment for its marquee event would be terribly embarrassing. But if there are massive financial ramifications, you can be sure that we won't be seeing the Saudi Arabian GP anytime soon.
 
Hi. My first contribution in 2011 and it's political. Damn. Anyway, here it is ...

It has not gone unnoticed in the Middle Eastern media that in the West our pre-occupation regarding the revolutionary happenings in Arabia is with our own safety and security. I personally (even if I had the finances to do so) would not go to the Bahrain GP purely on the grounds that it would be an affront to the Bahraini masses who receive no benefit from the event. Were there an equitable distribution of wealth - at the very least in the form of "trickle down" - to improve the lot of "the people" there, then okay. But no, the regime is brutal, opportunistic and nasty so I've always thought dealing with it was somehow immoral. Now I'm sure of it.

But of course, morality has no place in F1. After all it's a purely materialistic exercise, burns resources, replaces swathes of countryside with tarmac, bricks and mortar, and gravel traps, punts CO2 into the air, blah, blah, blah and we love it!

Love and best wishes to freedom lovers everywhere.

"We are normal and we love our freedom, we are normal and welove Bert Weedon" The Bonzo's
 
The Gulf states could have learned a lot from the Sultanate of Brunei. Another Islamic dictatorship, but one that uses its oil and gas revenues to provide free education and healthcare for its subjects, subsidises food and housing, and doesn't charge them a penny in taxes. Its life expectancy is 76 years, comparable with most Western countries. And it isn't as if the ruling family are short of a bob or two as a result: the Sultan's younger brother, Prince Jefri, hit the headlines a few years ago after being accused of embezzling $14.8 billion.

Brunei has little excuse for its behaviour, and the FIA really need to assess whether they want their premiere championship associated with such people.
 
If there is a race in Bahrain I can predict with almost 100% certainty there will be a Germany 2000/Silverstone 2003 Incident, and possibly with more than 1 person
 
Ah, loonie protester tripping the light fantastic, trying to test the theory "if I don't believe it is there, it can't hurt me" ...
 
At the end of the BBC article there's an interesting comment,

Ecclestone said he was planning to speak with Crown Prince Salman ibn Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa - the Bahrain King's son and heir apparent, who reportedly pays $30m a year to host the race - later on Friday to discuss the growing tension.
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If the Royals are thrown out of the country who will be paying for the race? I don't think Bernie's worried about the protests but a lack of cash will scupper his plans.
 
That's actually a very good point, F1Y. If you put it to the population of a very small (population 1.2M, I think) democratically elected state that their taxes put $30M in somebody else's pocket, I think they'd make their feelings clear very quickly!
 
fat jez said:
That's actually a very good point, F1Y. If you put it to the population of a very small (population 1.2M, I think) democratically elected state that their taxes put $30M in somebody else's pocket, I think they'd make their feelings clear very quickly!
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They don't pay income tax.

Lucky :censored: HMRC have decided in their wisdom that they managed to undercharge me for 3 years and now I apparently owe them just shy of £13,000 :censored: <- this word rhymes with the plural of the 1976 F1 champion.

Aaaand back on topic - Season opener in Melbourne could be fun.
 
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