Bahrain: the FIA’s decision could have been different according to Todt

For many Formula One observers and enthusiasts, there will undoubtedly be a before and after Bahrain. There is no doubt that by going to this small Gulf kingdom, which has been experiencing more or less intense internal unrest for a year, Formula One has tarnished its image, and some members of the paddock admit that reflection is needed. Among them, Ross Brawn regrets that the teams did not receive more support, particularly from British parliamentarians: “The politicians in the UK said we should withdraw once we arrived. Why didn’t they say anything before?” Ross Brawn wonders on the BBC before receiving support from his McLaren counterpart: “I don’t think it helps to wake up and hear that we shouldn’t be there when we are already there,” says Martin Whitmarsh.

For his part, still on the BBC, Jean Todt, President of the FIA, insists: “As the governing body, we had no reason for the Grand Prix not to take place in Bahrain.” However, the Frenchman concedes: “If we were to convene a world council and vote today, I am convinced that there are now new facts that would have changed the decision.”

Among these incidents, we must count the two involving members of the Force India and Sauber teams last Wednesday and Thursday, who had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time while heading to their respective hotels. However, Jean Todt wanted to put the events into perspective this weekend: “I spoke with Bob Fernley [editor’s note: deputy team principal of Sahara Force India] and it wasn’t an attack directed towards them. I understand there might be some emotion, but just as it can be when there are issues during a football match. It can happen anywhere in the world. I had a long discussion with Peter Sauber and he told me, ‘You know, I definitely feel as safe here as at any other Grand Prix in the world, and specifically in Europe.'”

But the weekend was also marked by the death of a protester, which the opposition attributes to the crackdowns carried out by Bahraini security forces. We know that protests can go wrong, acknowledges the Frenchman before adding: I am not sure that the protests would not have happened if the Grand Prix had not taken place.

To Yvette Cooper, Labour MP, who believed before the event that British drivers should not go there, Ross Brawn responds that he does not think it’s right to want Jenson Button or Lewis Hamilton to decide the country’s foreign policy.

However, while Ed Miliband, leader of the Labour Party, was wondering what kind of signal is sent to the world when a Grand Prix is maintained despite the concerns exists, the violence in Bahrain, and the continuous issues regarding Human Rights, the director of the team based in Brackley acknowledged that the situation deserves consideration: After this event, we will need to sit down and discuss it. We will race, and afterward, based on our own judgment and what we have seen, we will draw conclusions, the Briton stated this weekend.