FIA confirms 2011 Bahrain axe

The 2011 Bahrain grand prix saga came to a conclusion on Wednesday when the FIA confirmed Sakhir will not host a race later this season.

Without actually mentioning the troubled island Kingdom, the governing body said a fax vote of the World Motor Sport Council had ratified the calendar that was “originally proposed” for the 2011 world championship.

The FIA said the vote was “unanimous”, even though the same word was used for the recent reinstatement of the Bahrain race for 30 October.

However, India will now host its inaugural grand prix on its original 30 October weekend, with the season ending a month later rather than in mid December.

Bernie Ecclestone revealed to the Independent newspaper that Bahraini officials travelled to Montreal last weekend to urge the F1 chief executive to consider rescheduling the race for 30 October, or 4 or 11 December.

“I told them that I thought withdrawing was the easiest way to handle the situation,” he said.

Bahrain will however be involved with the 30 October race this year, with the Sakhir circuit’s medical team tasked with training and assisting its Indian counterparts, according to the Gulf Daily News.

© RIF | GMM