Year: 2011

With a Grand Prix weekend ahead of them Formula One teams are expressing their concerns over the handling of the Bahrain race. Currently, the official stance says Bahrain has been reinstated for 30 October and the inaugural Indian Grand Prix has been pushed back until 11 December.

FOTA represents 11 of of 12 F1 teams and has written a letter to the FIA stating, “the amended 2011 calendar is unrealistic.” A copy of the letter can be seen below, where concerns over safety and logistics are outlined, along with matters of protocol that should be followed when making alterations to the agreed calendar.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Autosport the Team Principals from Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner, and Lotus Renault GP, Eric Bouillier have placed their thoughts on record.

Christian Horner: “It’s an unfortunate situation. Obviously with the way things have been handled, with the uncertainty, maybe it could have been handled better, but we are where we are.”

Eric Boullier: “F1 is a non-political sport. We cannot do whatever we want, because there are issues like this. We need to be a little bit more cautious.”

Organisers for the Indian Grand Prix have also written to the FIA to lodge their complaint over the rescheduling of their race.

It can now only be a matter of days before the FIA responds to these concerns. One would expect the Bahrain race to be finally scrapped from the 2011 calendar and the Indian GP to be moved back to 30 October. But as the great Murray Walker once said, “Anything can happen in Formula 1, and it usually does!”

[Source: Autosport | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

UPDATE: The BBC has more and quotes FIA President, Jean Todt, “I have listened to your [the teams’] last-minute objections and have asked the commercial rights holder to re-examine his calendar proposal, and if necessary, to submit a revised proposal to the World Council.”

Interesting that Todt is looking to drop Bernie into the frying pan and distance the FIA from the decision to reinstate the Bahrain GP.

Just days after the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) declared it was safe to reschedule the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2011 the future of the event now finds itself in total disarray.

First, Mark Webber expressed his disapproval when he said, “It’s obvious that the parties involved have struggled to reach a decision but sadly I feel that they still haven’t made the right one.”

And in the days that have followed the dissent has grown to a stage where it’s virtually untenable to race in Bahrain in 2011.

Former FIA whipping boy President, Max Mosley, pointed out the WMSC broke its own rules by altering the 2011 calendar before gaining approval from all the teams. In an interview with BBC Radio4 Mosely said, “I don’t think there is the slightest chance the grand prix will actually happen. Apart from anything else, you cannot change the calendar in the way that it’s proposed to change without the unanimous agreement of the teams.”

FOTA, the body representing 11 of the 12 current F1 teams, has thrown its hat into the ring by writing to the FIA demanding the plans to return to Bahrain this year are scrapped amid fears of safety and logistical concerns.