F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone said he will decide whether or not to cancel next month’s Bahrain GP after the weekend following days of violent unrest in the kingdom.

The GP2 Series race scheduled to take place in Bahrain this week has already been cancelled after pro-democracy protests that have led to deadly clashes with police, organisers said.

With Formula One due to launch its season in Manama on March 13, Ecclestone has raised the prospect of the event being scrapped.

This week, rights groups in Bah-rain reportedly threatened to target the race for protest action.

Ecclestone confirmed he had spoken to Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa over prospects for the race.

“It’s not good is it?” he told reporters.

“We’ll have to keep our eye on things and make a decision quickly.

“I spoke to the Crown Prince Thursday morning. He doesn’t know any more than you or I, but they’re monitoring exactly what is going on. Next week we will make a decision on what we are going to do.”

Prior to the Grand Prix, the Formula One circus is due to roll into Bahrain for a final testing session to run from March 3-6.