Bahrain crown prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa says the country must deal with immediate issues first rather tBan Formula One, after the season's first race at the Sakir circuit was called off yesterday
Bahrain crown prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa says the country must deal with immediate issues first rather than Formula One, after the season's first race at the Sakir circuit was called off yesterday |
| A traffic light turns red at the empty Formula One race track at Bahrain International Circuit in Sakir. PIC/Getty Images |
The season-opening Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix, due to be staged on March 13, was cancelled yesterday due to the deadly political unrest in the Gulf state, organisers announced.
The widely anticipated move was confirmed in an official statement shortly after reports emerged that F1 teams had decided not to go ahead with a scheduled testing session at the circuit next week.
Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa said: "At the present time the country's entire attention is focussed on building a new national dialogue for Bahrain.
"Although (F1 rights holder) Bernie Ecclestone had graciously made clear that a decision on the race was entirely Bahrain's to make and was not yet required, we felt it was important for the country to focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting of Bahrain's Formula One race to a later date."
The 2011 season will now get underway with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 27 with the fourth and final round of pre-season testing to be held in Barcelona on March 8-11.
No date has been set for a possible rescheduling of the Bahrain race, which was first held in 2004 when Michael Schumacher won, later this year.
Ecclestone said: "We wish the whole nation well as they begin to heal their country. The hospitality and warmth of the people of Bahrain is a hallmark of the race there, as anyone who has been at a Bahrain Grand Prix will testify."
