2012 Bahrain Grand Prix protests
The
The decision to hold the race despite ongoing, during the race, protests and violence[2] has been described as "controversial" by Al Jazeera English,[3] CNN,[4] AFP[5] and Sky News.[6] The Independent named it "one of the most controversial in the history of the sport".[7]
Events leading up to the race
2011 cancellation and 2012 reinstatement
The
With pre-season testing for the 2012 season starting in February 2012, the future of the Bahrain Grand Prix became the focus of renewed speculation. Several teams expressed concern over the state of the country as early as the
"The FIA, like many in the diplomatic community in the kingdom, the main political opposition [...] believes the staging of a Grand Prix would be beneficial in bridging some of the difficulties Bahrain is experiencing. The FIA is not in a position to influence political matters in a sovereign country such as Bahrain and we can only wish for a long-term peaceful solution."
The FIA's stance on the future of the Bahrain Grand Prix as of 19 February 2012.[17]
"What we must put above all else is what will be the penalty in terms of human cost if the race goes ahead. It would be a bad state of affairs, and bad for Formula One, to be seen to be enforcing martial law in order to hold the race. That is not what this sport should be about."
Former World Champion Damon Hill, voicing concerns over the race going ahead as planned.[18]
"You've got to be very careful because if you were to say the Bahrain Grand Prix should not take place, then will there be pressure on Russia, for example, for the Winter Olympics when they come round in 2014? Will there be demonstrations because Russia is still trying to create democracy? [...] You've got to be very careful. If this race is cancelled then I think it is a very backward position to have in sport. We have already got a model in Northern Ireland where football continued to be played and so did rugby and so did motorcycling."
Former World Champion Jackie Stewart on the ramifications of cancelling the race.[20]
Civilian protests against the race
In January 2012,
On 28 March 2012, Ecclestone confirmed the event would go ahead.[25] Four days later, protesters revived their campaign against the race, with police breaking up demonstrations in Abu Saiba and Tubli. Activists also turned to Twitter in an effort to see the event cancelled.[24] By the end of the first week of April, it was reported that the focus of the protest movement had shifted to the race, with activists accusing the government of using the race to "[try and] cheat the international community, telling them everything is back to normal".[26] The government rejected these claims, with circuit chairman Zayed al-Zayani putting the race forward as being in the interests of all involved, and that it would bring economic benefits to the region that could not be ignored. al-Zayani further claimed that he did not understand why the race was being made into a political issue, and was instead quoted as saying "the race is taking place because Bahrain has been the home of motorsport in the Middle East",[27] and accused "armchair observers" and "scaremongering extremists" of attempting to create a moral panic over the race.[28] Activists denied these claims, reiterating their belief that the government was attempting to use the race to "tell the outside world that the whole thing is back to normal" and that "they want to come back from isolation and say that everything is back to normal".[19]
Following the anti-race protests, Ecclestone admitted he had no power to force the teams into racing in Bahrain if they did not want to.
The FIA's response
During preparations for the Chinese Grand Prix, one week before the race in Bahrain, Zayed al-Zayani drew attention to a report commissioned by
"I am particularly concerned that those intimately involved in F1 – drivers, teams, sponsors, media and supporters wishing to attend – are being presented with a distorted picture. This picture is being shaped by a huge amount of inaccurate and often deliberately false information being spread through social media forums. Some troubles do still exist. The almost nightly skirmishes that take place in certain villages are a potential block on progress and are putting those involved in their policing and innocent members of the public in significant danger. However, in spite of how these events may be portrayed through the medium of YouTube and other outlets, their significance should not be overplayed. These are now lawful protests, which are permitted, but violent conduct by a very small minority – often groups of 15–20 young men. These are criminal acts being perpetrated against an unarmed police force who, in the face of such attacks, are acting with remarkable restraint. These people are intent on causing harm to the police and the communities in which they live. They are not representative of the vast majority of delightful, law-abiding citizens that represent the real Bahrain that I see every day. Along with my family, I feel completely safe. Indeed, safer than I have often felt in London."
Briefing by
Members of the Formula One Teams Association responded to media speculation that they would see the race cancelled, stating that they did not have the power to cancel a Grand Prix,[38] while Bernie Ecclestone announced that the race would only be cancelled at the request of Bahraini authorities.[39] When asked about their feelings on the Bahrain Grand Prix, McLaren and Red Bull Racing drivers Jenson Button and Mark Webber both called for unity within the sport on the subject, calling upon the FIA to make the most informed decision possible.[40][41]
On 13 April, the FIA released a statement concluding it was satisfied with the state of affairs in Bahrain, and that the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix would be going ahead as planned.[2] Following a meeting between the teams and Ecclestone in Shanghai, the teams declared themselves to be happy with the decision to hold the race.[42] The decision attracted objection from human rights advocates, with Amnesty International describing the situation as being "no better" than in 2011,[43] while The Times reported teams had relieved staff members who objected to competing in Bahrain of their positions.[44] McLaren and Mercedes declared their support for the race going ahead, with McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh quoted as saying McLaren would race in Bahrain so long as the event remained on the calendar.[45]
Comparisons to 2006 Turkish Grand Prix political incident
At the
In the build-up to the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, commentators noted[51] that organisers of the race were promoting the race under the slogan UNIF1ED — One Nation In Celebration, with the 'fi' in 'unified' stylised as an 'F1'.[52] In an opinion piece posted on his website, journalist Keith Collantine described the campaign as being political in nature, and that the FIA's response was "[making] a mockery of the FIA’s claim of political neutrality" under their own statutes,[51] while Sky Sports pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz commented that "every single team boss and every single person I’ve spoken to in Formula 1 has said, ‘I tell you what, though: they shouldn’t have done that UniF1ed’ – not least because you're not allowed to use Formula 1 for any political aims".[53] When asked about the "UNIF1ED" campaign, Jean Todt avoided the question.[54]
Journalists reporting on the conflict passed the opinion that the "UNIF1ED" campaign had failed to present the country as united, and instead had the opposite effect.[55]
Pressure from the international diplomatic community
As the race drew closer, several
In a letter addressed to
FIA President Jean Todt maintained his stance that the country was secure, and was quoted as saying "it is clear the Grand Prix can go ahead. There has been some controversy about it but the FIA is a sports organisation. We are only interested in sport, not politics".[57] Bernie Ecclestone continued to describe the country as "quiet and peaceful", despite riot police attacking a crowd of protestors with stun grenades and pro-democracy activists calling for "days of rage" in the days preceding the race.[62]
The teams arrive in Bahrain
"I trust in the FIA that they know all the information — I don't, personally — so we have to trust in their decision. I don't think they will ever want to put us at risk. They do a lot on safety for drivers, in terms of the circuits and the cars and what have you, and that's a priority for them. So I believe in the FIA's decision. If everything is straightforward and nothing happens, it's not even going to be in the back of my mind at all."
2009 World Champion Jenson Button, expressing his confidence in the decision by the FIA to see the race go ahead.[63]
The first team members arrived in Bahrain on 17 April amid reports that sixty Shi'ite protest leaders had been arrested ahead of the race.[64][65] In preparing for their arrival in Bahrain, teams took additional security precautions including hiring local security experts and planning specialist routes from the capital Manama to the circuit,[66] some 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) away. News agency Agence France-Presse reported that their journalists and photographers had been blocked from entering Bahrain, and that several foreign journalists had had their visas delayed to prevent them from entering the country. AFP further reported that all personnel handling cameras were required to carry high-visibility markings at all times so as to make them easily identifiable and prevent them from covering events away from the circuit.[67] Those journalists with approval to enter Bahrain turned to social media sites to circumvent press censorship.[68][69] A heavy police presence was reported along the road from Manama to the circuit, including armoured vehicles and riot police.[70]
Xevi Pujolar,
Force India petrol bomb incident
"We are looking at it from the point of view of ensuring the well being of everybody and the comfort of everybody is in place. And that is the key objective for us. We have had issues as you all know with things, and we have to make sure that the crew are comfortable in the environment and that is what we are working on. But the crew are totally committed to delivering qualifying and the race – and if it means a limited or no FP2 in order to achieve that, that is the decision we will have to take. We are doing the best we can to make sure the crew are safe. We have assurances and I don't believe there will be any issues. There will be protests and I think it was an unfortunate incident, but unfortunate incidents happen. When it is your team it happens to, you have to deal with it in a proper manner which is what we are doing."
On 18 April, former McLaren mechanic turned journalist Marc Priestley took to Twitter to report that a hire car used by Force India mechanics had been involved in a petrol bombing,[80] though there were no injuries or damage.[81] The team members had been travelling in an unmarked car[82] and were held up by an impromptu roadblock which they were unable to clear before a petrol bomb exploded nearby.[83] Further reports of the incident indicated that the mechanics were briefly exposed to tear gas fired by security forces on the protesters.[84] One of the team members involved in the incident flew out of the country the next day.[85] The mechanic — who was not named — chose to leave as he no longer felt comfortable in the country.[86] A second mechanic left several hours later.[87] Force India driver Nico Hülkenberg was disturbed by the chain of events, quoted as saying that it was "not right" that team members should have to fear for their personal safety.[88]
Shortly after the first practice session ended on Friday morning, speculation in the media suggested that Force India would skip the second ninety-minute session due to take place later that day as they were not comfortable travelling back to Manama after dark.[89][90][91] Although the second session was due to finish at 1530 local time, the time taken to pack up pit garages would see teams travelling from the circuit to the capital during Friday afternoon prayers, which have seen some or the largest organised demonstrations — or "days of rage" — both in Bahrain and throughout the Arab Spring.[92][93][94] Darren Heath, a long-time photographer of the sport, described a similar feeling of unease up and down the pit lane.[95] The team later confirmed that they were "considering" pulling out of the second session and were evaluating the possibility of taking part in a limited programme before retiring early,[78][96] before electing not to take part in the second session at all.[79] The team maintained their support of the decision to hold the race.[97] Bernie Ecclestone was bemused by the team's decision to withdraw from the second practice session, stating that none of the other teams had expressed concern over their safety, and that he had offered to accompany Force India personnel back to Manama as reassurance, an offer they declined.[98]
Members of the
Al Khalifa addresses race critics
Shortly after the second practice session ended on 20 April, Bahrain's Crown Prince
"I think cancelling just empowers extremists. I think for those of us who are trying to navigate a way out of this political problem, having the race allows us to build bridges across communities, and get people working together. It allows us to celebrate our nation as an idea that is positive, not one that is divisive. So I actually think that having the race has prevented extremists from doing what they think they need to do out of the world's attention.
"I absolutely can guarantee that any problems that may or may not happen are not directed at F1. It goes to show that there are people who are out to cause chaos. You [in Britain] had these problems last year in your country and there is a very big different between protesting for political rights and rioting, and the attack that happened around Force India was aimed at the police. It was unprovoked, and it was quite dangerous. But at no time was anyone from F1 in danger.
"I hope by coming here you understand that unlike what has been reported we are not trying to say we are perfect. We are a real country with real issues and we hope that you get a chance for all our complexities and all our shades, I genuinely believe that this race is a force for good."
Crown Prince
At the time of Al Khalifa's address, tensions between protesters and the government were described as being at their highest since
A protester was killed in clashes with police on the Friday before the race.[103]
Hacktivist community
Race report
See also
- Politics and sports
- 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix, which was cancelled due to the Bahraini uprising.
- 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix, which was also protested as part of the unrest.
- 1985 South African Grand Prix, which saw several teams boycott the event due to apartheid.
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