Twelve months on from the febrile tensions that disfigured the race here in
2012, when Force
India mechanics narrowly avoided being struck by a Molotov Cocktail,
the chairman of the circuit attempted to reassure the teams that there were
no security concerns this time.
This was at odds with the spectacle of multiple checkpoints in the vicinity of
the track, and numerous police officers, but Zayed Alzayani said: “We don’t
feel there is a direct threat to the track nor have we received any threats
to the track. But we take everything into account. For us, we want to
produce an event that is memorable for those who attended.”
Alzayani argued that the race was a unifying force in the country and that
protestors were allowed to express their grievances “within the confines of
the law”.
However, Ala’a Shehabi, leader of human rights group, said she had been told
by Formula
One commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone that members of her
organisation would not be allowed within a one-mile radius on race day.
Bahrain is experiencing a third year of violent confrontation between the
Sunni-led government and majority Shiites looking for a greater political
voice.
The latest clashes have occurred mostly in the Shia strongholds of Sitra,
Barbar and Sanabis, where graffiti reads: “No F1,” a reference to the
Formula One event. “Don’t race on our blood.” Demonstrators are trying to
highlight the slow pace of reform promised in the aftermath of the aborted
2011 revolution in Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s fifth fleet.
A wariness of foreign journalists also remains. An ITV crew were held and
questioned at a police station in the kingdom after filming, despite having
travelled to Bahrain on official visas.
A spokeswoman for ITV news said: “We can confirm we have an ITV News team in
Bahrain on a trip approved by the Bahraini authorities who issued their
visas.
“They were taken to a local police station after being stopped from
filming earlier today. They were not arrested. After discussions with
officers there they have now been allowed to continue with their assignment.”