Bahrain ready to host GP says circuit CEO

Bahrain is ready to host the Grand Prix that should have opened the Formula One season but was postponed because of the political turmoil and civil unrest in the Gulf state, organisers said yesterday.

“The Sakhir circuit is ready to welcome the Grand Prix if it is rescheduled for this season,” Bahrain circuit chief executive Sheikh Salman bin Issa al-Khalifa told AFP.

The statement came a day after the Bahraini government lifted a state of emergency and on the eve of a meeting by world motorsport’s governing body, FIA, which will decide whether the race will go ahead in Bahrain this season.

“We’re ready and the circuit is ready to host this great event and all that we need is a three-month heads-up to be able to complete preparations.”

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said this week that he was hopeful that the Bahrain leg would be reinstated on the Formula One calendar this year.

A rescheduled Bahrain race could fill the slot currently reserved for the inaugural Indian GP in Delhi from October 28-30, Ecclestone suggested.

“I think the teams are happy. If it’s safe and everything is good then I think the teams will be happy to support it,” Ecclestone said.