When the Crown Prince of Bahrain was forced to cancel the inaugural race of the F1 championship, he hoped it would be just a short delay of a few months. However, the protests by the country’s Shiite majority did not subside, and the king was compelled to declare a state of emergency by implementing martial law for the next three months. Thus, the Grand Prix has become more secondary than ever for the country.<\/p>\n
The last FIA World Council had decided to grant Bahrain an additional deadline by setting May 1st as the deadline to set a new date for the event. One of the scenarios mentioned (taking advantage of the three-week summer break in August) was dismissed for climatic reasons: the temperature can reach 50\u00b0C, which would be simply unbearable for the drivers. The other solution is to find a slot at the end of the season, before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
But these scenarios require a decision to be made quickly. With the decision made today for the king, there is little chance that the conditions will be met for the king to take the risk of setting a new date in a month and a half while the state of emergency will still be in effect in the country.<\/p>\n
It must be said that the situation has clearly become tense in recent days with the deployment of Saudi soldiers and police officers from the United Arab Emirates, who came to assist local law enforcement in containing the protesters. These forces are part of the Peninsula Shield, which brings together the Gulf Cooperation Council. Besides the three countries previously mentioned, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait form this strategic alliance of Sunni-led countries. Tensions are thus increasingly mounting with Iran.<\/p>\n
It is therefore becoming increasingly likely that the 2011 Formula 1 season will only have 19 races instead of the initially planned 20.<\/p>\n