Bahrain wants to host F1 in “the very near future”

As the deadline to set a new date for the Bahrain Grand Prix approaches tomorrow, May 1st, the organizers have released a very vague statement that doesn’t commit them to much. Negotiations must therefore be underway to extend this deadline.

In recent days, the main parties involved in this matter (Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA) have issued comments representing their interests, which happen to be contrary to each other.

Thus, Bernie Ecclestone, who does not wish to lose the 40 million dollars that the Kingdom was supposed to pay him, had indicated earlier this week that he would not oppose an extension of the deadline to set a new date on the 2011 calendar.

In response, a spokesperson for the FIA had stated: «At present, the decision is still set for Sunday. Since it is the weekend, the decision will surely be announced on Monday morning. But we are not discussing any other deadline with Mr. Ecclestone. The decision will be made jointly between the FIA, Formula One Management, and the Bahrain authorities.»

The latter have therefore released the following statement today, through Zayed Rashid Alzayani, the CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit: « We are very grateful for the understanding of Formula One Management and the FIA during these difficult times. We also want to thank the continuous support of the international motorsport community and Formula One fans around the world. Our national priority is clearly to find a solution to the difficulties the Kingdom of Bahrain has experienced. The national situation has evolved positively, the situation is constantly changing, and our daily lives are gradually improving with the national state of emergency.

The Bahrain Grand Prix is a time of celebration, and hosting the race is a source of great pride for Bahrain and Bahrainis. It is a demonstration to the world, and we eagerly look forward to welcoming the teams, drivers, and all those involved in Formula One in the very near future.

The entire art of this statement is that it does not formally commit any of the parties involved. Because the notion of the very near future does not indicate whether it refers to a return in 2011 or 2012. However, a return in 2011 seems highly compromised and unlikely since it appears improbable that the teams would agree to travel to a country in a state of emergency, hosting hundreds of foreign soldiers (from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) and where protests are still ongoing. Organizing the Formula One Grand Prix would therefore offer an incredible opportunity for the protesters to make their demands known to the world.

In short, the situation in the country has hardly changed since early March. If at the time it was deemed more reasonable to cancel the race, we don’t see much that would allow the event to return to the 2011 calendar. It is therefore highly likely that the 2011 championship will only include 19 races.

With the participation of RacingBusiness.fr