Bernie Ecclestone confident about holding Bahrain Grand Prix in 2012 – Formula 1 news
Bernie Ecclestone is confident of holding the Bahrain Grand Prix this year.
Ecclestone showed his confidence to hold the event at the backdrop of similar concerns that went down last year in 2011 prior to the event which caused the event to be postponed at first and then cancelled.
“The only message I got was that there were some kids in trouble with the police,” Ecclestone told the Daily Telegraph. “We are planning to go. I've always said that if there was going to be any drama it would be on the 'day of rage'. They would have to
do something then. People there seem confident that a race two months away will be alright.”
He added, “The teams are not the slightest bit concerned. They seem happy that things will go ahead without problems. Last year was a more clear-cut decision not to go but things have changed a lot since then.”
The Human Rights Center in Bahrain called upon the teams and drivers of the sport to boycott the event, while the organisers maintain that the situation has been dealt with. The Bahrain GP organisers even offered the suspended employees- for their part in
the riots against the government- their jobs back.
Recently an All Party Group from the UK Parliament has written an open letter in Times in support of the Bahrain Grand Prix for the 2012 season.
The letter mentioned the positives about the event will bring a lot of western visitors, media and journalists to the country and witness for themselves how much the government has done to reform. The letter also mentioned that it would be an incentive for
them to show the world that they have improved the condition.
The FIA has also taken the same stance and said that staging a Grand Prix would be beneficial in bridging some of the difficulties that the country is facing.
There is still some time before the scheduled date of April 22, 2012 for the Bahrain GP, but the situation that is building up have stark similarities to last year. The only major difference is that Ecclestone and the Bahrain GP organisers are bidding to
host the event more aggressively this year. It remains to be seen though if the event can go on this year.
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