Bahrain Grand Prix organisers summoned support for their troubled Formula One race yesterday and said a campaign for it to be cancelled was being driven by “armchair observers” and “extremist groups”.
The Bahrain International Circuit produced witness statements from foreign observers, including two members of the Lotus team, and the British ambassador to the Gulf kingdom in defence of the April 22 race.
It said a briefing by the Lotus representatives had been sent to all 12 team principals on April 5 and ahead of this weekend’s Chinese GP in Shanghai, where a final decision is expected.
Bahrain, which has endured almost daily protests and unrest since an uprising against the government in February last year was bloodily suppressed, is due to follow on immediately after China.
There have been increasingly vocal calls for it to be cancelled, however, with one unnamed team principal telling Britain’s Guardian newspaper that all the teams were hoping the governing FIA would call off the race.
“Yes, there is a need to keep the circuit and the teams secure and they are doing this and they feel very comfortable about the arrangements,” the Lotus report said in excerpts reproduced in the Bahrain circuit statement.
“If there is going to be protestation then it will be confined to peaceful protests – you will maybe see some banners being waved and maybe some tyres on fire but that is all they expect.
“We came away from Bahrain feeling a lot more confident that everything is in hand,” it added. “If it wasn’t for a few more police you wouldn’t know any difference from last year we were there.”
Last year’s race had to be cancelled due to the unrest after an initial postponement and the last race there was in 2010.
Circuit chairman Zayed Al Zayani said in a statement that “armchair observers” had been driving the debate at the expense of neutral parties “who have taken the trouble to investigate the situation at first hand.
“This, combined with the scaremongering tactics of certain small extremist groups on social networking sites, has created huge misconceptions about the current situation,” he added.
He urged all stakeholders in the sport to “listen to those with an informed, educated view of the situation and to form their view on the facts of the situation as presented by neutral first-hand observers.”
The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA), which represents Lotus, Caterham, Force India, Marussia, McLaren, Mercedes and Williams, said it was not possible for the teams to cancel the race.
“There’s been some media speculation recently to the effect that the teams may seek to cancel this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix,” FOTA said in a statement.
“That wouldn’t be possible. Teams are unable to cancel grands prix. We race in an international series called the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, and it is therefore for the FIA to offer the teams guidance on these issues.”
FOTA does not represent Ferrari, HRT, Red Bull, Sauber and Toro Rosso.