Formula One: F1 chief plays down Bahrain unrest

LONDON: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has played down the outbreak of fresh unrest in Bahrain, insisting the violence posed no threat to this season’s Grand Prix race scheduled to start on April 20. Bahraini police clashed with pro-democracy protesters yesterday, with the violence reviving memories of last year’s unrest that led to the cancellation of the 2011 race. However, Ecclestone told The Guardian that the clashes were unlikely to lead to another cancellation. “I think what happened was that a lot of kids were having a go at the police,” said Ecclestone. “It doesn’t change our position in any shape or form.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2012.