What else is new? On another note, does anyone know when the teams' cars have to be on the road in order to make it to Bahrain? Is it immediately after China or will there be a couple of days beforehand? Just wondering how long this will drag on.
Immediately following China. Same for team personnel, many of whom have received two sets of flight tickets - one to get them to Bahrain, the other to get them back home. The latest that a decision can be made is Sunday.
My main hope is that Jake Humphrey and Eddie Jordan do not have to stand up on live TV and listen as Ecclestone announces that due to a lack of contrary evidence F1 will be going to Bahrain. The way this is going I can see there being a protest about Bahrain during the race at China. Could the FIA punish one of the drivers if they were to pull out a bloodsoaked Bahraini flag for the cameras, for instance?
The teams wouldn't look too kindly on something like that, let alone the FIA. China's usually a pretty low turnout but I wonder if anyone in the grandstands might display such a flag? I don't think it'll come to that. I'm sure it will be cancelled before this Thursday's press conference. Last year's race was cancelled about three weeks before it was due to take place. I can't see them wanting team managers and drivers fielding questions about it. It's interesting how the media appear to be spinning Ecclestone's comments today: Autosport originally reported:
I'm wondering if Bernie is starting to wonder if the Bahrain organisers are going to out bluff him. Bernie wants them to cancel it so he still makes the dosh, but if they don't cancel it can he really risk sponsors pulling away from the sport if its seen as the bad guy? Money Money Money....
Don't think it's really worth pointing out how tragically wrong this second statement is. EDIT: Great minds think alike? EDIT 2: A few additional quotations from the Autosport article on the subject, same guy:
FOTA looking stupid: The mystery manager yesterday claimed that the teams were "uncomfortable about going to Bahrain" and that they were "all hoping the FIA calls it off." The Guardian's headline was: F1 teams want FIA to postpone Bahrain Grand Prix. Today FOTA's statement reads: Nobody suggested that the teams will "seek to cancel" the race. This is a non-statement by FOTA and it's either idiotic or deliberately misleading.
Lotus (sponsor) have pulled away from Lotus (team) recently, did they see this coming and a potential backlash from words they (team) may have to eat?
I said it yesterday, and i'll say it again, this whole affair is a pain in the arse, politics shouldn't feature in this, common sense should take centre stage. In my opinion, if people are rioting, the race shouldn't go ahead. It puts too much pressure on the security services at the track and surrounding facilities.
So in the space of a day we've gone from a race that looked on the verge of cancellation to it looking like the definition of "someone else's problem".
It's about time someone took some responsibity. We need a new FIA president, i was 100% in favour of Ari Vatanen.
