If the sport goes to Bahrain despite all the pressure and there are major
problems, it could well be the end of his time in the role.
Difficult questions will be asked of why he ignored the warnings and some will
point to his close ties to the kingdom’s ruling family.
It could also be argued that the event’s slogan – “UniF1ed for the Nation, a
nation in celebration” – goes against the FIA’s statutes, which state that
the federation shall “refrain from manifesting racial, political or
religious discrimination in its activities and from taking any action in
this respect”.
Todt will seek to reach a joint decision with the teams and Ecclestone when
they meet in Shanghai later this week, ahead of the race on Sunday week, but
it looks as if others will try to pin responsibility on Todt.
The FIA declined to comment, with its director of communications believed to
have cancelled a holiday in an effort to deal with the crisis.