The "Bahrain" decision. Who will call it?

Disclaimer: This is NOT the Bahrain GP thread



No big introduction needed, just a few facts and my own opinion to end.

1 - There is some low intensity civil unrest going on in Bahrain (but increasing each day we get closer to the GP).

2 - The Grand Prix, sadly, has become a political landmark within the country. It seems vital for both the rulers and the rebels that it will / it won't ... take place.

3 - Within the F1 world, inevitably the cracks start to show.

My opinion. Politics and Sports don't mix, it is often said, and people usually say it with the most serious look on their faces. However, it is a formidable (and widely known) lie. They do mix, and they do mix very often. And usually both mix with money too.

So, we have the F1 championship and the FIA (that's the sporting side), we have the Bahrainis from both sides of the inner political fence (that's the political side) and we have the money (that's Bernie). Who will win?

I say ... follow the money. Because the GP will only be called off if the money agrees (that's Bernie). And that may happen not because the teams get rebellious (unless one of them is Ferrari, Bernie doesn't mess with the pesky italians) but because the SPONSORS get rebellious. Or the INSURANCE companies. Something like that.

The civil war in Bahrain is dangerous for anyone so its not safe for F1. They spent money on F1 circuit and the people very much enjoy F1 like any other but the people want people 1st not care about F1st for now.

The race should go ahead in my view. I've got many reasons why i think it should, but if it does get called if, I will understand why.. And won't be surprised...

The uk Foreign office has no restrictions or advice on not travelling there, so on that I would say the risk it relatively small, and therefore the f1 should go ahead.

However I know less than the f1 teams do and in the end it is down to them.

As I've said on this issue before (mainly last year) - sport shouldn't be used as a political tool or be seen as a political message. Just because F1 is going to a country shouldn't mean it agrees with everything that country does - which should also mean that not holding the race shouldn't be used as a message against a government.
It should just be about holding a race that happens to be wherever - but then in a pure world we wouldn't be in Bahrain anyway because the track is pretty dull.

But even though it isn't a perfect world, I don't particularly care about whether the race goes ahead or not - I would rather it does just because its one extra race and the more racing, the better. But I don't see it at all related to anything going on in Bahrain no more than the British Grand Prix is related to anything in Britain really beyond its location (politically speaking).

Really this question boils down to publicity, reputation and image. Does F1 want to be exposed to the negative publicity such an event would generate? I think Bernie has no problem with negative publicity as he himself is pretty happy to generate it on a regular basis what with the "Hitler wasn't a bad guy" comments. He knows how to manipulate the press and get everyone talking about F1, even if its not in a positive light or anything to do with racing.
Currently I think Bernie is trying to get as much publicity as possible on this, because the closer it gets to the GP, the more attention this story gets with more and more people weighing in on the issue. First we get only motorsport-journalists reporting it and discussing it..but then we start moving on to politicians and then the general public quickly start hearing about it on a regular basis.
In the meantime, people are repeatedly talking about the words "Bahrain" with "F1" and "Grand Prix".

Whether or not it goes ahead is an interesting question this time around, the Bahraini royal family/ruling government desperately want the event to go ahead to display that all is well in their country. It was a major blow not to hold the race last year, another set back this year would be even worse not only for their image but perhaps the future of GP.

I think ultimately it will lie with the FIA and the FIA will decide not to go ahead simply because they will presumably be under some pressure to not go to Bahrain.

The silly part of all this is that from what I'm told by those living closer to Bahrain, the place is pretty quiet generally and that this issue has been blown way out of proportion. Ironically, simply having the Grand Prix on the calendar is creating 90% of the publicity about Bahrain's issues it seems. So its not even a black/white situation where you can say holding or not holding the GP is right or wrong. One could say its right to hold the GP because it highlights the issues and focuses people's attention back. Either way I personally think it should be only down to a safety and sporting prinicple whether to race or not but of course things have to be run with marketing/publicity in mind too.

If no one wants to go to Bahrain I propose they take the Sahkir International Circuit and move it somewhere that the teams do want to go.

Bahrain GP Must go on i dont want some pesky racist rebels to ruin the sport

OFF topic (i saw a picture in the newspaper which is a rebel graffiti on a wall which is written We dont want f1 on our blood )

GTPorsche

If no one wants to go to Bahrain I propose they take the Sahkir International Circuit and move it somewhere that the teams do want to go.

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Why? Its not a great circuit.

Its not that anyone wants to go to that track...its that Bahrain are willing to pay to hold a race.

If it was simply about going to an acceptable country that happens to have an F1-spec race circuit...Imola is just sitting there waiting..

And Estoril, and Portimão ... sadly (or not) there's no oil around here to pay for Bernie's fees

Too many great circuits, not enough money to pay for races.

Celicaas

Bahrain GP Must go on i dont want some pesky racist rebels to ruin the sport

OFF topic (i saw a picture in the newspaper which is a rebel graffiti on a wall which is written We dont want f1 on our blood )

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How are they racists? Please explain.

They should not go. If a major sports series goes to a country like this it is effectively giving support to the government in place.

It validates it by allowing that government to say "Look F1 came here, That means it's all okay here and we must be nice".

Why is this wrong? Easy. On a previous episode of Radio Le Mans earlier this year, the host, John Hindhaugh, stated that during the trouble last year the medical staff at the track and the marshals that had medical training went to the assistance of injured protestors.

They were all arrested, charged and convicted of, who knows what, maybe just for being decent human beings who committing the unforgivable crime of helping people who needed help.

Some of them were sent to prison and the rest were given suspended sentences.

It has not been confirmed of those sent to prison that all of them have been released yet.

The history of top-level motor racing for over a hundred years has been to display its wares anywhere, even in front of kings, dictators, fascists or communists.
So lets not forget that!

Even so, we have always drawn the line at violence, and the (understandable) civil unrest in Bahrain has threatened to target the race. It's now a safety issue; insurers and lawyers are now involved. So now the FIA must man up and pull the plug. Period.

Respectfully submitted,
Steve

Good news coming out this morning : http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98707
Although the teams and FIA will still meet to discuss ahead of this weekends GP, and they could lobby to have it canceled, fingers crossed it will still go ahead without any major issues.

Interesting:

"I am particularly concerned that those intimately involved in F1 - drivers, teams, sponsors, media and supporters wishing to attend – are being presented with a distorted picture. This picture is being shaped by a huge amount of inaccurate and often deliberately false information being spread through social media forums."

"Some troubles do still exist. The almost nightly skirmishes that take place in certain villages are a potential block on progress and are putting those involved in their policing and innocent members of the public in significant danger. However, in spite of how these events may be portrayed through the medium of YouTube and other outlets, their significance should not be overplayed.

"These are now lawful protests, which are permitted, but violent conduct by a very small minority – often groups of 15-20 young men. These are criminal acts being perpetrated against an unarmed police force who, in the face of such attacks, are acting with remarkable restraint.

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The problems in Bahrain are over a lack of 'political freedom' and 'respect for human rights' from the side of the monarchy and government. If F1 does hold a race in Bahrain, then to the outside world it will appear to be supporting this oppression. This obviously won't be in the sport's best interest nor those of the companies who sponsor the teams. They shouldn't be going there IMO, at least until things settle down or are resolved. It should be the FIA who makes this decision, and they shouldn't have left it in the balance as long as they have done.

TheCracker

If F1 does hold a race in Bahrain, then to the outside world it will appear to be supporting this oppression.

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And if they don't, then they would appear to be supporting the protesters, who have recently turned to more violent tactics, attacking police with Molotov cocktails, burning schools and setting off home-made bombs.

prisonermonkeys

And if they don't, then they would appear to be supporting the protesters, who have recently turned to more violent tactics, attacking police with Molotov cocktails, burning schools and setting off home-made bombs.

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Would F1 be right to host an event in Syria at the moment too?

TheCracker

Would F1 be right to host an event in Syria at the moment too?

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How is it at all the place of Formula 1 to make a moral statement? That's for the diplomatic community to do.

prisonermonkeys

And if they don't, then they would appear to be supporting the protesters, who have recently turned to more violent tactics, attacking police with Molotov cocktails, burning schools and setting off home-made bombs.

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What's wrong with that, the non-violent protest were turned violent by the Autocratic regime in power. Just like Syria, Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. It's quite different when you have all the power and you've squashed the right for citizens to be free. Not going is supporting freedom. I don't care either way I just wanted to interject because of the comment I just responded to and quoted you upon.

LMSCorvetteGT2

Not going is supporting freedom.

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Is it? A month ago, Muqtada al-Sadr expressed support for the uprising. He's the cleric who organised the "Mahdi Army", the first serious insurgency in Iraq. For now, he's only shown vocal support - that we know of - for the Bahraini opposition. But they've started using IEDs, so it's entirely possible that they learned it from al-Sadr and his followers. What happens if Formula 1 decides to make a moral stand, only to learn that the people the sport publicly supported were in league with someone like al-Sadr, who called the US, UK and Israel "the enemy of all Iraqis" and publicly called for the Iraqi people to take up arms and fight?

The easy solution is to cancel the race in the name of safety. Not choosing sides, not making any statements of support. Just can it out of respect for the welfare of the drivers, team members, support staff, track marshals, media etc.

It need not be more complicated than that.

peter_vod69

The easy solution is to cancel the race in the name of safety. Not choosing sides, not making any statements of support. Just can it out of respect for the welfare of the drivers, team members, support staff, track marshals, media etc.

It need not be more complicated than that.

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I agree with this, if you cancel the race in the name of safety nobody can blame you for choosing sides.

prisonermonkeys

How is it at all the place of Formula 1 to make a moral statement? That's for the diplomatic community to do.

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It's just as much a morality statement to hold the race despite what's going on, as it is to not go at all.

Bernie is happy to continue with the race since a) He's the money man and it would no doubt cause him and his team a major headache to cancel a race. And b) he appears to have few morals anyway.

It's the teams, or more accurately the team's sponsors, who are asking the questions of whether they want to be associated with the event.

peter_vod69

The easy solution is to cancel the race in the name of safety.

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Surely the easist thing is to carry on as planned? Exactly by the plans that have been there a year (ish) now...

TheCracker

It's the teams, or more accurately the team's sponsors, who are asking the questions of whether they want to be associated with the event.

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Really?

Because I haven't heard a single word about that.

peter_vod69

The easy solution is to cancel the race in the name of safety. Not choosing sides, not making any statements of support. Just can it out of respect for the welfare of the drivers, team members, support staff, track marshals, media etc.

It need not be more complicated than that.

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Of course, there's the supreme irony of motor racing governing body determining that some place is "unsafe". But I agree, that would be the best overall excuse.

Channel 4 news reports Ecclestone wants the eventto go ahead still.

LMSCorvetteGT2

How are they racists? Please explain.

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They are supported from Muqtada alsader and iran and The syrian goverment Which are shiites infact The rebels are shiites and Want Persia(iran) to takeover bahrain and other GCC Countries thus they are a threat Plus they want bahrain to be a persian speaking country They also say that they are poor but that is incorrect infact they are rich and have roles in The Parlimaent and they have destroyed Puplic areas and schools and killed Bystanders From other Idealogies in horrible ways And they are Armed (IED'S And such)





Thats what i know about them