The chief executive of the Bahrain International Circuit has insisted that the country is now "back to normal" after recent protests, saying that he was now convinced that the Bahrain GP could go ahead without any issues.
The future of the 2012 Bahrain race has been up in the air after reports of renewed clashes between protesters and security forces in the Gulf kingdom.
The clashes came on the anniversary of the start of protests in 2011 which forced the cancellation of the 2011 F1 race.
But despite ongoing concerns about the state of the country, the BIC chief executive Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa has said that he is confident the situation is now "normal".
He also offered reassurances that travelling teams and fans would find the circuit to be perfectly safe.
"Life has come back to normal, people are moving around without problem now," he told the National newspaper at the official ticket launch for the 2012 race, "I don't see an issue.
"Obviously, there are always concerns and the authorities are aware of that, but my main concern is that everybody is secure in and around the circuit and I am confident we can provide that."
He went on: "The grand prix for us is a world class-event and all world-class events will always have a small group of people looking to take advantage.
"We take that very serious and have a strong team ensuring the safety...I am sure the administrations are doing the same to ensure visitors are secure from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave."
The 2012 race is seen as a key event in Bahrain's efforts to prove that the country is peaceful, with this season's race being advertised with the dubious slogan "Unified: One nation in celebration".
And Al Khalifa added that: "This race is such an important race for Bahrainis. The economic impact of the grand prix runs into the millions of dollars.
"And it ties us to the world in that we – this small island of Bahrain – are part of a very unique group and really become a world player with this race."
And Al Khalifa also suggested that for the future, the Bahrain race should be moved back to the season-opening slot it had in 2010.
The 2011 race was also scheduled to open the season before it was postponed, but the 2012 race is set to be the fourth race of the season.
"I think Formula One should start the world championship in a timezone that makes sense,” he explained to the newspaper.
“We have a lot of support in Europe for our grand prix and to start in Australia, where it is 2am or 3am in Europe, that to me doesn’t make sense."
Australia hosted the season-opener in 2011 after the Bahrain race's cancellation, and will continue to do so in 2012.
However, Al Khalifa appeared to get his time zones in a muddle in his comments. The Albert Park race is scheduled to start at 5pm in Melbourne, giving it a 6am start time the UK, and a 7am one in Europe.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
