Bahrain Grand Prix pressure mounts on Bernie Ecclestone – Formula 1 news
The Bahrain Grand Prix pressure is mounting on Bernie Ecclestone as the race weekend comes close.
Jean Todt and Ecclestone both find themselves under pressure from media questions over the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Ecclestone has been the biggest supporter of the Bahrain GP and was clearly agitated by repeated media questions about the situation in Bahrain. He even snapped at one of the reporter’s question and said, “What protests?”
Another question about the shootings in Bahrain drew even more reaction out of the F1 Supremo who replied, “Nobody has been shot....What are you talking about?”
Although AFP had already reported earlier that a 15-year old boy was in intensive care after being shot during a protest. The shot was from the anti-riot Police.
Teams have shown faith in FIA’s decision and have said that they will tour Bahrain and respect the decision taken by the management.
On the other hand, Human Rights Center in Bahrain has called for the boycott of the race. They have requested teams and drivers not to take part and let the government portray an image of peace when the situation is exactly the opposite.
The one difference that has been this year is that Ecclestone has had some political back up for this year’s race. In 2011, there was no political support for the race and that mounted even more pressure for its cancellation.
Al-Wefaq the largest Shiite opposition has said that they will hold peaceful protests throughout the week in order to gain media attention from the F 1.
“Holding the grand prix in Bahrain in 2012 risks being interpreted by the government of Bahrain as symbolising a return to business as usual,” Amnesty said on Friday. “The international community must not turn a blind eye to the ongoing human rights crisis
in the country. The government must understand that its half-hearted measures are not sufficient - sustained progress on real human rights reform remains essential.”
It will be interesting to see how the situation shapes up as the race day comes close. It will be imperative for the future of the circuit to have a incident free race, otherwise it may face banning of Formula 1 events.
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