Alzayani also read a message of support from Britain’s recently-appointed
ambassador to Bahrain, Iain Lindsay.
There are many within the sport who remain uneasy, however. Aside from the
moral debate, there are fears that the April 22 race may exacerbate the
violence which has erupted sporadically this year.
Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, warned that
the presence of Formula One would be used to send out a message. “[F1] is
helping dictators and we are going to protest,” Rajab said. “We are going to
use the opportunities that a lot of journalists are there and we are going
to protest everywhere.”
Alzayani said such threats were not a concern to the race organisers. “There’s
no need,” he said when asked if security would be ramped up this year. “You
will come out and you will see — it is business as usual. There are some
clashes with police, isolated in villages. Some of these clashes are very
small — 10 or 15 people — but it gets blown out of proportion and made to
sound as if the whole nation is rising up.”
Ecclestone blamed the media for inflaming the situation, saying: “Seriously,
the press should just be quiet and deal with the facts rather than make up
stories.”