Bahrain GP 2012 - Will it go ahead?

Personally think it's a dangerous idea to go there as you're basically giving a worldwide live audience which the protesters could really see as an opportunity to cause havoc with the event and highlight their plight.

If any government shootings occur as a result of the GP then that really looks bad on F1 for going there.

The race should be cancelled imo as it's become a political tool for both sides.
 
Which would be cheaper - pay the no-race compo to Bernie or run the race closed doors?

I don't actually believe theres a real safety threat - the Foreign Office haven't released a "don't go" notice. Just some inconvenient human rights issues.
 
The real threat isnt so much to the teams/drivers/fans/officials, we know full well the government won't let there be any disruption. There in lies the problem though, we know how heavy handed the government can be, so there is no telling what could happen to protestors who turn up.

The other issue I wasn't aware of until today's news reports is that John Yates who is overseeing the London 2012 Olympics security is also overseeing Bahrain. He has on record said its fine, so you can imagine the headlines come Monday morning if the race goes ahead and something goes wrong, it's a brave move by him.
 
Nexus said:
The other issue I wasn't aware of until today's news reports is that John Yates who is overseeing the London 2012 Olympics security is also overseeing Bahrain. He has on record said its fine, so you can imagine the headlines come Monday morning if the race goes ahead and something goes wrong, it's a brave move by him.
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I am sure he is being very, very well paid to say the right things.

If I was involved in the protests there I would be hoping it goes ahead. The opportunity it offers for a pr coup is huge. Just organise a mass protest march and the authorities will have to respond with force.
 
freebooter said:
I am sure he is being very, very well paid to say the right things.

If I was involved in the protests there I would be hoping it goes ahead. The opportunity it offers for a pr coup is huge. Just organise a mass protest march and the authorities will have to respond with force.
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And all the TV cameras point the other way...

There are protests and disruptions happening all over the world all the time. But people only seem to care when The News tells them to.
 
Skeeter said:
And all the TV cameras point the other way...

There are protests and disruptions happening all over the world all the time. But people only seem to care when The News tells them to.
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There is nothing we can really do about it though is there?

I love Formula 1, but I'd rather miss seeing a race than see somebody killed or seriously injured as a result of it.

Anything that might happen though would suitably be covered by media that will be there, and also from people reporting with camera phones and such, which is what has already been used heavily during the Arab Spring.
 
I assume you will be watching China this weekend with real concern for the human rights issues that exist in that country then?

And when Brazil comes round you will be concerned for all the teams safety as they are escorted to and from the track with police escorts?

The whole thing has absolutely nothing to do with the unrest in the country or any threats to the teams or fans. Its purely an issue because the media spotlight is currently on the country and going there makes F1 look bad.

100% about Image. 0% about actually giving a dam. The teams and Bernie have played their part in the stage show by 'acting all concerned', they are just waiting for assurances that the Bahrainians are going to play their part of 'making everything look like its fine'.

The circuits in the middle of the desert and only about 12 people ever turn up to watch it anyway! lol.
 
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Skeeter said:
I assume you will be watching China this weekend with real concern for the human rights issues that exist in that country then?
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China does indeed have human rights issues.
However, the Formula 1 race there is not the subject of a protest by citizens of the country who are trying to oust the government who are brutally cracking down on them.

And when Brazil comes round you will be concerned for all the teams safety as they are escorted to and from the track with police escorts?
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I'm not really sure what you are trying to imply with this?
It's nothing like the same as Bahrain.
It's a dangerous country in parts and of course there should be Police escorts, especially after what happened a couple of years ago. A Police Escort to the race circuit in Brazil is not the same as a protest against the government.
 
I'm saying that F1 saying they don't want to go to Bahrain because of the human rights issues in the country and the risk of violence to team personnel is just complete and utter ****.

They don't want to go because the issues are currently in the global public spotlight.
 
Skeeter said:
I'm saying that F1 saying they don't want to go to Bahrain because of the human rights issues in the country and the risk of violence to team personnel is just complete and utter ****.

They don't want to go because the issues are currently in the global public spotlight.
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It's not just about their image though, which of course they are concerned about.

It's that they are now being used as a Political tool.
On the one hand you've got the Bahrain Government saying:

"There is nothing to see here, everything is normal, we are putting on a Formula 1 race for the world to see... that everything is normal".

Then you've got unrest and people protesting who have already come out, dressed as Formula 1 Drivers to say that they intend to disrupt it because it's on the world stage and shows just how out of touch the Government are.
 
Wow, he gave a real lesson there in "How not to give a statement to the media".

That was incredibly rude and he just looks an idiot for trying to pretend that there aren't any issues in the country, it's no different to Bahrain's government!

One of the things that gets me is how cagey everyone is being.
No broadcaster/official/driver/team wants to actually have a real stance on what they personally think incase it interferes with the view of somebody that represents them. For example Jenson, Lewis and McLaren have refused to say much, but then Bahrain interests own 50% of shares in the business. Mark Webber is usually the most outspoken and even he is holding back this time.

I'd love to see somebody in F1 who just doesn't care and says what they feel.
 
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Here's the sky one, what a jumped up *****. She was only giving him the opportunity to say he was going and wasn't worried about his safety.

The lies about the team not being concerned. What a relic that man has become. No one dare tell him or they will lose their press pass.

 
I actually think he has a point.

What do any of us really know about Bahrain? Its obviously not Syria so how bad is it?

All the media have talked about is whether F1 is going or not - there hasn't really been anything truly worth mentioning regarding the actual state of the country.

If it is just protests against human rights well no country is truly whiter than white now is it?
 
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