Bahrain GP protesters take cause online, following F1 industry’s support for race

Yesterday, Bernie Ecclestone and Team Principals from leading F1 teams attended the media launch for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled for 22 April. It was a strong show of support for the troubled event.

This morning, the above image was sent to AUSmotive via twitter. Clearly some people don’t want F1 in Bahrain. In January we reported on calls to boycott the 2012 race and civil unrest continues in the Gulf state. It’s reported that 33 deaths have occurred since June last year.

However, Ecclestone has dismissed concerns over the race’s future. “People say to me ‘Oh there’s not going to be a race’. I say ‘How do you know?’ ‘Ah, we know because we saw, we read or we heard’ or something like that. It’s all nonsense,” he exclaimed.

The F1 supremo also denied there are any worries regarding security, “I’m absolutely sure that whatever is necessary to do will be done,” he said. “Probably not necessary. We’ve never been concerned about security in the past. I don’t understand why we should be now.”

Zayed Alzayani, chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit, was also quick to dismiss doubts.

“I have been mugged in New York twice and I still go,” he said. “My brother was mugged out of Harrods. Someone stuck a knife to him and took off his Rolex. He comes to London 10 times a year. These incidents can happen anywhere,” Alzayani said.

Asked if more serious attacks were likely he replied, “I don’t think that will happen.

“We are not witnessing that in Bahrain. There hasn’t been any assaults on foreigners…maybe you are referring to the British guy who got his fingers chopped off, but that was an isolated incident.”

Alzayani added F1 is vital to boost the local economy. “I remember last year on June 3 when we were reinstated I went to a wedding party and (the bride’s) grandfather, an 80-year-old taxi driver, came up and hugged me and said ‘I make more in that week than in three months normally’. This is how much it touches the average citizen,” he told.

Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner, was at the Bahrain media launch and explained he expects to racing next month.

“Bahrain is on the calendar. The FIA has obviously stayed very closely informed of the situation. When you enter the championship at the beginning of the year, you enter it to do all of the races,” he told reporters.

“We have always been treated well in Bahrain previously and we will go there and do our very best to put on a good show.”

[Source: Reuters]