Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2012

[phil1993]

Bahrain Grand Prix
Round 4 of 20

I know we haven't had the Chinese Grand Prix yet, but there's going to be a lot of talk about this race over the next two weeks, so it's best to put it in a designated thread.

Assuming the race goes ahead, the drivers will use the layout used from 2004 until 2009, rather than the abomination that was added in 2010.

If the race is cancelled, it will happen at some point over the weekend of the Chinese Grand Prix.

So, 14 months on from the uprising in the Gulf State, should we be racing there. If yes, why? If no, why not?

--

The latest is that a Labour MP says the race should not go ahead
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98629

My personal opinion is that Motorsport has never had a backbone, so I'd be surprised if they changed. FIA won't cancel it, while the teams have to go or risk losing big time financially. Any cancellation will come from the organisers, which is effectively the ruling elite of Bahrain...

I think the situation is very different compared to 2011, but it's still a concern. There's active violence in the country with the protesters specifically targeting Formula One. It only takes one deranged protester to cause a major problem...

[The Immortal Dragon]

Well, first of all thank goodness they won't use that incredibly horrendous long layout (in case they race, that is).

I personally think the race shouldn't take place, though. I believe F1 shouldn't interfere with these things.

[phil1993]

The FIA shall refrain from manifesting racial, political or religious discrimination in the course of its activities and from taking any action in this respect

.

Bahrain GP 2012 slogan: “Unif1ed – One Nation Celebration”

I pretty much agree with Joe Saward
http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/04/ ... t-if-game/

[Treacle]

I'm quite concerned about this GP. People seem very passionate of banning the F1 out of the country, they are willing to give their lives.
I'm not sure the teams and the fans should put themselves to risk...
I'd rather wait a month between two races than have a problematic race weekend.

[f1freak]

The FIA can reconsider their decision of not holding the race looking at the current unrest. But they always have an option to re-schedule it by the end of the year if the situation improves.

With Regards to the track layout the previous one was much better compared to the one they raced in 2010.

[tderias]

the original layout is way better.

[naiego]

The race should not take place, F1 is not above the political problems this country is having, the last thing people want down there is a race.

[Omegablue]

I say yes, it should proceed.

Cause 90% of the visuals on TV do not represent the whole nation. And most of them are typically dramatized by the Western media.
If that's the case, then at the next occupy Wallstreet, or riot in Europe, should the sporting events there be cancelled as well?

Bernie is not an idiot. If he was there and gave the okay, is cause he saw it was safe, unlike the rest of the paranoid world that religiously follows TV.

If they are to cancel the Bahrain GP due to unrest, then all sports should stop globally as there far more severe issues everyday like human trafficking, drugs and police corruption that is killing thousands of people worldwide. Heck, then the Chinese GP should never be hosted due to their zero-existing human and animal rights. Yet, no one is bitching about that cause most of the West's economy comes from there.

It's rather hypocritical to cancel this GP, unless the whole of the Bahrain is bombarded by jet fighters.

[Auni]

I really don't like it!

[tderias]

@Omegablue Cmon, we all know that Bernie is all about the money. Unless it's dead serious and actually threatens the F1 circus to go there, he'll give the go ahead.

[Omegablue]

@Omegablue Cmon, we all know that Bernie is all about the money. Unless it's dead serious and actually threatens the F1 circus to go there, he'll give the go ahead.

Exactly, because it's all about money. Do you think Bernie will risk the life of any someone from any of the teams, or of the fans, and ruin the image of F1 and his money machine.

[The Immortal Dragon]

I say yes, it should proceed.

Cause 90% of the visuals on TV do not represent the whole nation. And most of them are typically dramatized by the Western media.
If that's the case, then at the next occupy Wallstreet, or riot in Europe, should the sporting events there be cancelled as well?

Sure, it doesn't represent the whole nation. But you don't need the whole nation against the event for the event to go terribly wrong.

And the situation would be very different for European riots. Those are directed towards a certain class of society. Much of the turmoil in Bahrain is directed toward the F1 Grand Prix. I think that's a substantial difference.

[Omegablue]

I say yes, it should proceed.

Cause 90% of the visuals on TV do not represent the whole nation. And most of them are typically dramatized by the Western media.
If that's the case, then at the next occupy Wallstreet, or riot in Europe, should the sporting events there be cancelled as well?

Sure, it doesn't represent the whole nation. But you don't need the whole nation against the event for the event to go terribly wrong.

And the situation would be very different for European riots. Those are directed towards a certain class of society. Much of the turmoil in Bahrain is directed toward the F1 Grand Prix. I think that's a substantial difference.

Fair enough, that particular example I used there was a bit vague. I admit that.
However the risen issues in Bahrain towards the GP, is from people trying to obtain media coverage, which they are successfully getting. If it wasn't for the GP risking to be cancelled, most of us wouldn't bother following up at least once a week to the actual facts that is causing the public unrest.

After the GP, the protestors will be targeting whatever next event. At the end, they're only damaging themselves, because they should be directing their energy and time at their politicians, not a GP which at the end pays a job during the weekend.

If the area is safe as Bernie claims, then by cancelling the GP might start a new global chain where groups of protestors will target events instead of the source of their dispute.
Also, it's not the whole nation against the GP. What is being broadcast on the Western channels is different from the neutral and Eastern channels.

Please, people, let's not forget how years back there was a similar situation in Venezuela with protestors against Chavez, and the western channels made it out to be an all out civil unrest, which thankfully was exposed to not be true, and was about a thousand odd so people, and not the whole nation. Yet, for months, the world believed it was the whole country.

And to conclude the point, Bernie is a businessman, and isn't that reckless to risk his money making machine.

[phil1993]

If this race does end up being postponed, then I cannot see where else it would fit onto the calendar. There's no way in hell it's happening in the Summer, which leaves the end of the season. The flyaway races are already very tough on teams and there's 6 races in the space of 8 weeks from Japan to Brazil. There's no space whatsoever. There's no way the teams would agree to 11 November as that'd leave 5 races back-to-back. Impossible. It's either April 22nd or not at all for 2012...

[Omegablue]

If this race does end up being postponed, then I cannot see where else it would fit onto the calendar. There's no way in hell it's happening in the Summer, which leaves the end of the season. The flyaway races are already very tough on teams and there's 6 races in the space of 8 weeks from Japan to Brazil. There's no space whatsoever. There's no way the teams would agree to 11 November as that'd leave 5 races back-to-back. Impossible. It's either April 22nd or not at all for 2012...

Would it not be possible to replace Bahrain with Hockenheim or Imola during the European season, which would make the back to back possible and easier, as well considering both tracks are maintained through out the year?