Category: Formula 1

If you’re trying to make sense of the political controversy surrounding the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix here’s a special report from the Al Jazeera program Inside Story. It goes for around 25 minutes and perhaps you could watch this in place of the pre-race coverage on your local broadcasts.

Introducing the debate, the program begins:

After three races of the 2012 season, Formula One motor racing is set to return to Bahrain’s tracks for the first time since demonstrations began in February 2011, causing a huge controversy.

Anti-government protesters say the event planned for Sunday will only fuel the ongoing human rights crisis and they have promised “three days of rage” to coincide with the event.

So, is Bahrain safe, right and ready for Formula One? Why is the Bahraini government so keen to hold the event? And does targeting a sporting event make a difference to a political situation?

To help us answer these questions, we are joined by guests: Jamal Fakhro, the first deputy chairman of the Shura Council, the upper house of the National Assembly; Saeed al-Shehabi, the leader of the Bahrain Freedom Movement; and Mihir Bose, a sports journalist and author.

UPDATE: Noted F1 blogger Joe Saward has posted comment on the situation in Bahrain. He states: “It is eye-opening to see what is being reported, because it bears no resemblance to what we are seeing. Admittedly, we are not going to hot spots, but we feel that the coverage is completely unrepresentative of the situation. One can see that the media is not giving the regime the benefit of the doubt, which is not surprising given what happened last year.”

Tom Cary from the UK’s newspaper The Telegraph has kept a diary of his week so far in Bahrain.

He landed on the troubled island on Tuesday: “Tear gas and Molotov cocktails are exchanged. I file my report from the rooftop of a ‘safe house’ as explosions ring out below.”

Wednesday: “Head to another protest in the old souk in Manama, which is significant because we had been told by Bahrain’s authorities that protests do not take place in town.”

Thursday: “Arrive at an extremely edgy paddock where everyone is digesting overnight news that a Force India hire car carrying four mechanics was caught in a clash between rioters and police.”

Friday: “Force India announce they will miss FP2 in order to get back to their hotel in daylight; a brave move considering Bernie Ecclestone’s likely irritation at the message that will send out.”

Saturday: “And the news the sport was dreading is confirmed mid-morning. A protester has been killed, activists claim.

“Qualifying is almost an irrelevance. With the funeral of the protester planned for Sunday, and tensions high, it is hard to know how the weekend will end.”

Follow the source link below for Cary’s full article.

[Source: The Telegraph | Pic: Reuters]

No doubt you’re now well versed on the troubles in Bahrain and the fact thousands of protesters are taking to the streets to promote their cause to the watching global audience.

Happily, on two fronts, we can report that the protests so far this week seem to have been peaceful in their nature and the F1 circus appears to have arrived without major interruption. According to a recent tweet from Paul Hembrey of Pirelli, “all arrived in Bahrain. No different to previous visits. Kind lovely people looks normal.” Although he also adds, “Clearly different story outside in villages.”

We decided we’d do a quick search for recent images showing what the protesters have been up to in recent days. They help to capture the mood at street level ahead of this weekend’s race.

We hope things remain peaceful, although speaking to the Telegraph, Jasim Husain, a former Bahraini politician, warns, “There is this fear, the fear is there that we could see some casualties.”

There are also concerns the imminent death of imprisoned human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, now in the third month of a hunger strike, will see protesters react with greater force.

Tom Cary, covering the build up for the Telegraph, delivers this quote from a local taxi driver: “I have two emotions. One is that I am proud to have such a big event in Bahrain. But the other part of me feels shame. You will be welcome here because you are guests in my country but you will be racing over blood this weekend.”

[Pics: Telegraph, Sportsnet, twitter, AFP]

The 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix will go ahead, say the FIA, after meeting with all 12 teams in Shanghai this afternoon.

In a press statement the Formula One’s governing body said: “The FIA must make rational decisions based on the information provided to us by the Bahraini authorities and by the Commercial Rights Holder. In addition we have endeavoured to assess the ongoing situation in Bahrain.”

According to the FIA they have been seeking information from a number of sources: “Away from the public eye, the FIA has received regular security briefings from the most senior diplomatic officials based in the Kingdom as well as from other independent experts.”

The statement continues: “Based on the current information the FIA has at this stage, it is satisfied that all the proper security measures are in place for the running of a Formula One World Championship event in Bahrain.

“Therefore, the FIA confirms that the 2012 Gulf Air F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain will go ahead as scheduled.”

Fingers crossed.