President and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration, Bernie Ecclestone insisted that the much debated Bahrain Grand Prix will go ahead, as the issue overshadowed the lead-up to the Shanghai race.
Bernie said that the race is on the calendar. The sport’s commercial rights holder has reiterated that the race would go on unless the national sporting authority in Bahrain decides to call it off. He was quoted by autosport.com as saying that there was no difference between China and Bahrain as far as the sport went. It’s another race on the calendar, he added.
Just 10 days away from the 2012Gulf Air Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix, both Ecclestone and Formula One’s world governing body are under increasing pressure to make a final ruling on the race, with at least one driver saying it had become a distraction, said the Herald Sun.
Ecclestone is expected to meet the racing teams and their drivers tomorrow at Shanghai and newsmedia speculate that Bahrain could be one of the discussion. However, the Herald Sun said the boss insisted that the Bahrain race would not be on the agenda.
At Shanghai the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) — the world governing body — and many drivers attempted to get the focus back on the Chinese Grand Prix. Bahrain, however, lingered said the paper.
Red Bull’s Australian driver Mark Webber said it was dependent on what the FIA are reading into the situation. There are some massive decisions to be made and it looks like they are being made, and hope it goes well, he said.
Bahrain, according to the paper, said that the race would be a chance for the country to unite.