Motorsports fans will be delighted to hear that the possibility of The Kingdom of Bahrain still hosting a Grand Prix race later this year is not ruled out. Bernie Ecclestone, the president and CEO of Formula One Management was very clear in expressing that Bahrain was a much loved part of the Grand Prix tour and that they were sorry to see the race – formally scheduled for March – cancelled. Ecclestone, along with many motorsports fans, is hoping that a Bahrain race can be squeezed back into the schedule later this season, despite Formula One reporting a $100million deficit in revenues due to the cancellation.
Bahrain making it back into the tournament will of course depend on a number of things, not least of which being a degree of resolution to the unrest returning along with a relative state of stability. So far it seems that no F1 team has requested compensation from the Bahrain government according to the CEO of the Economic Development Board, Shaikh Mohammed, however, enthusiasm for Bahrain returning to this year’s tournament is still not shared among all the F1 teams, many of which are concerned that squeezing the race back in may put more pressure on the teams and drivers during a season already very long and hectic.
Sadly, Formula One is likely to be not the only one to lose out financially due to the cancellation – many F1 motorsport fans that had already purchased airplane tickets and had reserved accommodation ready for the race also stand to lose out; now faced with the dilemma of whether to take the risk and re-schedule their trip should the race be re-confirmed at a later date. Providers of car storage facilities in Bahrain looking to accommodate classic car and sports car fans that had been previously planning on driving to the tournament are also likely to lose out along with other local businesses and service providers.