Bahrain back on track; India GP postponed,now December finale

“The Bahrain Grand Prix will take place on October 30,replacing the Indian Grand Prix,which will now become the final round of the 2011 Championship,combined with the FIA Annual General Assembly and Prize-Giving Gala,” FIA said in a statement after a meeting of the Wold Motorsports Council in Barcelona on Friday.

The Bahrain race,which was the opening event of the 2011 calendar,was originally slated for March 13,but was postponed in the wake of pro-democracy protests in the Middle-Eastern kingdom in which 30 people were killed. In an online petition,over 3 lakh people urged the teams to boycott the race on moral grounds,while Red Bull’s Australian driver Mark Webber posted on Twitter: “When people in a country are being hurt,the issues are bigger than sport.” However,FIA said: “This decision reflects the spirit of reconciliation in Bahrain,which is evident from the strong support the race receives from the Government and all major parties in Bahrain,including the largest opposition group.”

Teams unhappy

There was some opposition to postponing the Indian leg as well,albeit for apolitical reasons. Most teams and drivers were against the calendar spilling over into December,a move which will make it the longest season since 1963.

Mercedes boss Ross Brawn had warned a few days ago that such a hectic schedule would badly affect his employees who have been working since January.

“As a team principal who works and has to look after the group of people we have,you have to remember they have been going since the end of January. We don’t have testing any more so these guys have been very,very busy since the end of January,and I think to take them through to December and then get them going again at the end of January,we won’t sustain it.

“So,to tell them to carry on through to December and then they can have a few weeks off over Christmas and it starts again is not going to be sustainable,” he was quoted as saying.

Renault team principal Eric Boullier also echoed those views.

It will also affect travel plans for many Formula One fans,many of who have had already booked tickets and accommodation. F1 races normally witness close to 30,000 travelling fans who come from around the world to watch the spectacle. The postponement,however,must have come as a relief for the Indian organisers as it gives them more breathing space,while also attaching more importance to the event by virtue of being the season finale.

“It’s neither a good nor a bad thing for us. We’ll still work as if the race is on October 30,” said a JPSI official.

There were few who were left with mixed emotions,one of them being Team Lotus’s Indian driver Karun Chadhok. “After reading today’s official statement from the FIA,I see both pros and cons as is the case in most decisions like this. On one hand it is tough for the people in the teams as this extends the championship and gives them little time before the next season. But on the other hand it will be an honour for our entire nation to host the season finale in the inaugural year of the Indian GP.”

Meanwhile,the FIA also released the calendar for 2012,with the Indian GP back to its October slot. The season will have 21 races,with the Turkish GP subject to confirmation.