Thread: Bahrain GP- Will it be Cancelled?

Originally Posted by Mark

Sounds like the debacle with the Zimbabwe cricket tour where the governing body refused to make a decision and it was forced into a corner because the players had to take a stand. It looks like - just like last year - the FIA is waiting for a majority of the teams to say they aren't going before it says "Well the teams didn't want to go so we had no choice but to cancel".

Instead they should just grow a backbone.

Unfortunately, sport governing bodies are almost uniformly incompetent and/or corrupt. This is another example. Where is the condemnation? One British MP, a motorsport enthusiast, has expressed a view against the race happening. It should be deemed a major scandal, just as the Zimbabwe cricket tour was. Another sign of F1's poor image?

Originally Posted by I am evil Homer

Well McLaren can't do a thing given their investment profile, so it will have to take Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes to say they won't go and force the FIAs hand in this behind the scenes.

It would also be good if a driver were to say they won't go. Where are you, Mark Webber? You're generally a man of principle.

This situation is similar to that facing the sport as the 1985 South African GP came around. Most were against the race happening, but it was only after the event that the FIA announced that F1 would not return.

Ligier and Renault did not take part, and some sponsors withdrew their logos from the cars, but the race went ahead.

So now people like us are guilty of "scaremongering", eh?

Bahrain Grand Prix chairman Zayed Al Zayani has blamed 'armchair observers' and 'scaremongering extremists' for creating alarm over the Sakhir event, which is due to go ahead on 22 April.

...

"What has been happening is that armchair observers - who have not been sufficiently interested or committed to investigate the situation for themselves - have been driving this debate, at the expense of those neutral parties who have taken the trouble to investigate the situation at first hand," said Al Zayani.

Source & full story: Bahrain chairman Zayed Al Zayani says 'scaremongering extremists' are the cause for alarm over the Sakhir event - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com

I think some of the people killed for peacefully protesting may have "investigated the situation at first hand", but what would I know?

I like the fact that, by that definition, I am an 'extremist' while a regime that kills those making legitimate protests and denies medical treatment to the wounded is a voice of moderation. Such statements are all the more reason for F1 to steer well clear.

Time for the FIA to call time on this years Bahrain GP.

http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/10/b...ams-says-fota/

http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/04/10/l...ential-report/

https://twitter.com/Damien__Smith/st...93565298262017

Originally Posted by aryan

And no, this isn't similar to China. While China is not a bright beacon of respect for human rights, it is not killing its citizens in broad daylight for protesting in the streets. The last time it did that was in 1989, and I think it would have been terrible if F1 had gone to China after the Tiananmen square protests and pretended that "F1 shouldn't mix with politics".

Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1

Time for the FIA to call time on this years Bahrain GP.

Bahrain decision down to FIA not teams, says FOTA | Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Lotus F1 says Bahrain used confidential report | Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

https://twitter.com/Damien__Smith/st...93565298262017

Formula One Teams' Association says that decision over Bahrain GP is down to FIA - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com

This Autosport article doesn't really add much to ArrowsFA1's links.
It does contain the most cavalier comment I've read in regard to last year’s cancellation which I must have missed at the time.

Last year, Bahrain’s circuit boss Zayed Alzayani criticised teams for being 'temperamental' in forcing the cancellation of the 2011 race.

I don't think it's too strong to say that shame will be brought upon F1 and the teams should this race go ahead.

A number of Formula 1 teams expect the Bahrain Grand Prix to be called off amid security concerns caused by civil unrest, BBC Sport has learned.

BBC Sport - F1 teams expect Bahrain Grand Prix to be called off

Still nothing from the FIA

They couldn`t have thought about this when they made the calender/ grand prix line up for 2012? Idiots in command, all about the $€£. If the choice was Bahrain or Spa i predict Bernie would choose Bahrain. They don`t care about safety off track/riots.

Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1

BBC Sport - F1 teams expect Bahrain Grand Prix to be called off

Still nothing from the FIA

And, let's face it, just whispers emanating from the teams too, together with nothing from even the more outspoken drivers. It all casts the sport in an uncaring, money-grubbing, indecisive, amoral light.

Originally Posted by henners88

Let's just get rid of this boring track off the calendar and be done with it.

Even without snazzy architecture its ten times better than Abu Dhabi.

Originally Posted by Somebody

The differences with China are massive.

Firstly the Chinese are not using the Shanghai GP to either excuse what is going in Tibet nor to proclaim that the situation there is fine because the race is going on.

Secondly the Chinese government is not involved in the Shanghai GP, it is subsidised by the local city council. In order for the Chinese government to have the same involvement in their GP as the Bahrainis are, we would have to have senior members of the Politburo organising the race.

Thirdly the problems in China do not involve between 10-25% of the population actively rioting against the government.

That is not to excuse what is going on in Tibet at all, and I would certainly be happier if there was no Chinese GP for that reason, however where do we draw the line?

Do we allow countries that have the death penalty even for crimes committed by children? In which case lets take of the US from the calendar. How about countries that are more than happy to abduct foreigners and send them for torture? If thats not acceptable cancel Silverstone now. Most of the countries races are held in (if not all of them) have some dodgy history.

I would say though that holding a race in a country where the race is seen both by the government and protestors as being an intrinsic part of the political landscape there, where about a quarter of the population is actively involved in protests and riots, where torture and killing by state security is par for the course, where doctors and nurses can face the death penalty for treating injured protestors is simply not on and is way beyond any line you can possibly draw in the sand.

Originally Posted by Malbec

The differences with China are massive.

Firstly the Chinese are not using the Shanghai GP to either excuse what is going in Tibet nor to proclaim that the situation there is fine because the race is going on.

Secondly the Chinese government is not involved in the Shanghai GP, it is subsidised by the local city council. In order for the Chinese government to have the same involvement in their GP as the Bahrainis are, we would have to have senior members of the Politburo organising the race.

Thirdly the problems in China do not involve between 10-25% of the population actively rioting against the government.

That is not to excuse what is going on in Tibet at all, and I would certainly be happier if there was no Chinese GP for that reason, however where do we draw the line?

Do we allow countries that have the death penalty even for crimes committed by children? In which case lets take of the US from the calendar. How about countries that are more than happy to abduct foreigners and send them for torture? If thats not acceptable cancel Silverstone now. Most of the countries races are held in (if not all of them) have some dodgy history.

I would say though that holding a race in a country where the race is seen both by the government and protestors as being an intrinsic part of the political landscape there, where about a quarter of the population is actively involved in protests and riots, where torture and killing by state security is par for the course, where doctors and nurses can face the death penalty for treating injured protestors is simply not on and is way beyond any line you can possibly draw in the sand.

You sum up my views exactly — and, I would hope, those of any other reasonable person.

Originally Posted by BDunnell

And, let's face it, just whispers emanating from the teams too, together with nothing from even the more outspoken drivers.....

You likely won’t hear much from the drivers who must be careful what they say so as not to upset their sponsors .

Originally Posted by Malbec

...Firstly the Chinese are not using the Shanghai GP to either excuse what is going in Tibet ......

...That is not to excuse what is going on in Tibet ....

What is currently going on in Tibet that is so troubling?

Originally Posted by schmenke

What is currently going on in Tibet that is so troubling?

Probably not much right now, but its difficult to deny that there is state sanctioned persecution of ethnic Tibetans there and of non-Han around the rest of China.

Incidentally reading some of the bizarre comments made by the Bahraini authorities about the nature of people who comment that the races should be cancelled, I wonder if there is a cultural element involved?

In history there have been plenty of episodes whereby Arabic groups have claimed outrageous things even though the reality is obvious to all, whether its Comical Ali claiming the Americans were withdrawing from Baghdad while M1s roared behind him or the Egyptian government claiming Jerusalem was about to fall as the Egyptian army retreated as fast as it could in '67. In my own practice I've encountered a minority of people of Arab origin who appear to have the idea that if you say it often enough, loud enough then it becomes reality.

Arabs probably know how to filter out this kind of thing and read the subtext but outsiders like us only see it at face value and wonder what on earth they've been smoking recently...

Originally Posted by Malbec

Incidentally reading some of the bizarre comments made by the Bahraini authorities about the nature of people who comment that the races should be cancelled, I wonder if there is a cultural element involved?

In history there have been plenty of episodes whereby Arabic groups have claimed outrageous things even though the reality is obvious to all, whether its Comical Ali claiming the Americans were withdrawing from Baghdad while M1s roared behind him or the Egyptian government claiming Jerusalem was about to fall as the Egyptian army retreated as fast as it could in '67. In my own practice I've encountered a minority of people of Arab origin who appear to have the idea that if you say it often enough, loud enough then it becomes reality.

The same can be said of people of many faiths, nationalities and cultures, I think. But I do feel that there is a difference between different cultures when it comes to the credence given to statements of one sort or another.