Protesters denounced the decision of Formula One to go ahead with the race despite complaints of rights abuses by the kingdom’s Sunni rulers against Shiites. PHOTO: AFP
The race was shelved in 2011 due to pro-democracy protests by the minority Shia population but resumed last year, despite calls for it to be axed due to claims of human rights abuses and heavy-handed police tactics against protesters.
The race itself passed off without incident, although four members of the Force India team were caught up in a petrol bomb attack and two returned home early.
The run-up to Sunday’s race has again witnessed an increase in protests by hardline groups and a crackdown by the Bahrain authorities, prompting fresh calls for the organisers to question its annual presence in the country on ethical grounds.
Young Shiite protesters who took the streets sounding drums have called the race ‘the Formula of blood’.
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, though, has dismissed concerns about holding the race in the country, while the Bahrain government has pledged to take ‘appropriate’ measures to ensure security.
News from the track
On the track, Germany’s Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull leads the drivers’ championship on 52 points from Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen in the Lotus (49) and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso (43), who won last week’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, with ease.
Mercedes team chief Ross Brawn, though, believes that the race will show whether they have a car fast enough to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari after Lewis Hamilton secured pole position and then finished a creditable third in China.
“The pleasing thing is we’ve been to three races this year and we have not been bad,” he said. “Bahrain will be the final one of the opening quartet that will tell us if we have a car that we can get to work at most places.”
Ferrari’s team chief Stefano Domenicali was also confident following Alonso’s triumph in Shanghai.
“The car seems better this year in terms of pure performance, even though that is not enough because we need to make it better and better,” said Domenicali.
“We will see where the performance of our car relative to the others will be in Bahrain.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 19th, 2013.
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Please correct ET, Shia is not minority group in Bahrain, they are in majority ruled by minority Sunni rulers.
Alonso is a way better driver than Vettel but its his car which lets him down but this time I think car will push him forward instead of dragging back. Ferrari looks in good shape to push Red Bull all the way.