Bahrain – F1′s black eye
Posted: June 10, 2011 Filed under: Formula One | Tags: Bahrain GP, Bernie Ecclestone, F1, FIA Leave a comment »
Bernie, post-robbery. Hurt less than losing $30 million on Bahrain. (Photo: Daily Telegraph)
The FIA and F1 have now backtracked on the Bahrain Grand Prix, scratching the once-delayed race after F1 teams raised a firestorm of protest. Bahrain has been a messy distraction in an otherwise crackling good F1 season. In its zeal to collect a $30 million sanctioning fee, F1 hitched its wagon to an increasingly repressive and odious regime. The sport has emerged with a massive black eye.
We have already chronicled the back and forth over Bahrain; no need to repeat that tale here. The curious part is that Bernie Ecclestone has repeatedly sought to avoid doing anything decisive. First he forced the Bahrainis to call off their own race in March (so as to avoid any forfeiture on the part of F1), and then he pushed for the race to be put back on the calendar. The FIA agreed.
This is where Bernie erred. He moved the Indian GP from October 30 and tried to slot Bahrain into India’s slot, moving India to mid-December. The FIA supported this move after it received a report from a delegate who visited Bahrain (because FIA delegates are best qualified to report on matters of internal Bahraini security). With the teams howling about a calendar that would span from March 2011 through Christmas, the FIA sensed blood in the water. It pushed Bernie’s proposed calendar back across the desk with a firm “try harder”. Realizing that the wind direction had changed, Bernie suddenly decided that Bahrain could no longer host a race.
Taking care to single out the “commerical rights holder” (that’s Bernie), the FIA issued a letter rejecting the proposed schedule and calling out Bernie for failing to line up his ducks. Curious how this emerged in the context of a power struggle over F1′s future. To us (and others) it seems as if l’affaire Bahrain has left Bernie looking smaller and the FIA and FOTA looking larger. Because – for a change – the teams got their way. And did the right thing at the same time.
