Bahrain organisers accept rescheduled race is off
The governing body has asked Ecclestone to confirm the cancellation of the race.
MONTREAL:
The Bahrain Grand Prix organisers confirmed they had abandoned plans to hold a race this year after controversy on rescheduling the event postponed by turmoil in the region.
Last Friday, the FIA reinstated the Bahrain race for October 30 in place of the Indian Grand Prix that in turn was set to be rescheduled for December. However, in the aftermath of that decision, many teams wrote to the governing body, Formula One management and the Bahrain organisers saying they were not willing to extend the calendar and would not agree to the date changes.
Earlier, commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone had said that the race could not be reinstated without written agreement from the team and then on Thursday, Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) Chairman Zayed R Alzayani confirmed that the event was indeed off.
“While Bahrain would have been delighted to see the Grand Prix progress on October 30th in line with the World Motor Sport Council’s decision, it has been made clear that this fixture cannot progress,” said Alzayani.
However, the governing body has asked Ecclestone to confirm the cancellation of the race.
“We’re now waiting for the commercial rights holder to suggest a new calendar to the World Motor Sport Council,” said an FIA spokesman.
Logistical difficulties for teams
Debate over the suitability of giving Bahrain a revised date on the calendar had heated up this week, with teams citing logistical difficulties of changing the schedule.
The Formula One Teams’ Association complained that it did not want the calendar changed at such late notice.
Meanwhile, the Williams Chief Executive Adam Parr said, “We’re concerned that fans, sponsors, teams, have made logistic arrangements to be in India on October 30, and we’ve been presented with a calendar where it is in December. How do you say to people who’ve booked a two-week holiday in India for the Grand Prix, ‘sorry you’ll be in India, but we won’t’?”
Rosberg fastest in first practice
Meanwhile, Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg topped the time-sheet for the first
practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix, clocking one minute 15.591 seconds. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, clocking 1:16.139, and Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher with 1:16.549 stood second and third respectively. Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel crashed heavily, smashing his Red Bull car into a wall at about 100 kilometres per hour after running over
a kerb at the final chicane at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 11th, 2011.
The Bahrain Grand Prix organisers confirmed they had abandoned plans to hold a race this year after controversy on rescheduling the event postponed by turmoil in the region.
Last Friday, the FIA reinstated the Bahrain race for October 30 in place of the Indian Grand Prix that in turn was set to be rescheduled for December. However, in the aftermath of that decision, many teams wrote to the governing body, Formula One management and the Bahrain organisers saying they were not willing to extend the calendar and would not agree to the date changes.
Earlier, commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone had said that the race could not be reinstated without written agreement from the team and then on Thursday, Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) Chairman Zayed R Alzayani confirmed that the event was indeed off.
“While Bahrain would have been delighted to see the Grand Prix progress on October 30th in line with the World Motor Sport Council’s decision, it has been made clear that this fixture cannot progress,” said Alzayani.
However, the governing body has asked Ecclestone to confirm the cancellation of the race.
“We’re now waiting for the commercial rights holder to suggest a new calendar to the World Motor Sport Council,” said an FIA spokesman.
Logistical difficulties for teams
Debate over the suitability of giving Bahrain a revised date on the calendar had heated up this week, with teams citing logistical difficulties of changing the schedule.
The Formula One Teams’ Association complained that it did not want the calendar changed at such late notice.
Meanwhile, the Williams Chief Executive Adam Parr said, “We’re concerned that fans, sponsors, teams, have made logistic arrangements to be in India on October 30, and we’ve been presented with a calendar where it is in December. How do you say to people who’ve booked a two-week holiday in India for the Grand Prix, ‘sorry you’ll be in India, but we won’t’?”
Rosberg fastest in first practice
Meanwhile, Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg topped the time-sheet for the first
practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix, clocking one minute 15.591 seconds. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, clocking 1:16.139, and Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher with 1:16.549 stood second and third respectively. Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel crashed heavily, smashing his Red Bull car into a wall at about 100 kilometres per hour after running over
a kerb at the final chicane at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 11th, 2011.