A statement issued on behalf of Bahrain's Crown Prince announced that the Bahrain Grand Prix has been officially postponed because of the ongoing riots inside the state and that Bernie Ecclestone had been advised to schedule another date.
The Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa statement reads as follows:
"At the present time the country's entire attention is focused on building a new national dialogue for Bahrain. Although Bernie Ecclestone had graciously made clear that a decision on the race was entirely Bahrain's to make and was not yet required, we felt it was important for the country to focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting of Bahrain's Formula One race to a later date.
After the events of the past week, our nation's priority is on overcoming tragedy, healing divisions and rediscovering the fabric that draws this country together; reminding the world of the very best that Bahrain is capable of as a nation once again united."
As consequence, the final round of testing which was set to take place in the same circuit before the race has been cancelled as well. Teams decided that it's more practical to continue their current pre-season testing session in the circuit of Catalunia instead of moving their freight to another alternative location.
Bernie Ecclestone commented at BBC:
"It's sad that Bahrain has had to withdraw from the race. We wish the whole nation well as they begin to heal their country. The hospitality and warmth of the people of Bahrain is a hallmark of the race there, as anyone who has been at a Bahrain Grand Prix will testify. We look forward to being back in Bahrain soon. The Crown Prince thought it wouldn't be the correct thing to do and that [decision] would be on safety obviously. You imagine if everybody's there and suddenly there is a little bit of an uprising again, it would be bad for everyone."
He also stated at Times that he will not charge the Bahrain authorities the $40 million licensing fee which is strictly still payable despite the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
"Nobody gains from this. I want to be loyal to the King [of Bahrain], because he is doing everything he can to put things right with his people. He doesn't need people like me stabbing him in the back.
Right from the start, we talked about the problems there, and he was straight with me. I am not there and I do not know properly what problems they are having. But the King was concerned about Formula One and our safety, which is why he took the decision to call off the race."
F1 season will now be obliged to start with the following race which is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Still, although the Bahrain Crown Prince announcement referred to a postponement rather than a cancellation it would be so difficult for the entire F1 circus to reschedule the event within an already busy calendar.
As a race in the Middle East during summer is definitely not applicable, the only realistic option for the Bahrain Grand Prix if situation would calm till then, is only after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Yet such an arrangement would mean either there will be a bizarre triple header with Brazil, or Ecclestone will have to move Interlagos back on December.
