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{ Tough decision: Bernie Ecclestone - here with Mohammed Al Khalifa, chairman of the Bahrain circuit - needs to rule whether the Bahrain GP will go ahead on March 13 Photo: REUTERS

Ecclestone began Friday “hopeful” that Formula One’s season-opening grand prix on March 13 would go ahead. However, the F1 chief executive later said the situation had deteriorated: “We should wait and see what happens over the weekend.”

On Thursday, following the cancellation of this weekend’s GP2 Asia race in Bahrain, Ecclestone had suggested that he would make a decision on the grand prix “by Tuesday or Wednesday”.

But with a lull in the violence as protesters gathered at Sitra for funerals, the 80 year-old felt sufficiently emboldened to predict that the turmoil might blow itself out. “Our people there say: ‘It’s quiet, no problems’,” Ecclestone said around lunchtime.

“I hope we don’t have to do anything. Let’s hope this all blows away. I’m more hopeful today than I was yesterday. In these parts there have always been skirmishes. Perhaps it’s a bit more than that.”

Later, having been appraised of the latest violence, Ecclestone backtracked considerably. “From what I’ve been told it’s a bit different to this morning because of this funeral that’s gone on which is what you would expect, I suppose.”

Asked if he feared there was now less chance of the race going ahead, he said: “I don’t fear anything, I just think things have changed and that we should wait and see over the weekend exactly what changes there have been.”

Asked about potential damage to the image of F1 if the sport visited the country at this time, Ecclestone said: “It seems as if people thought Bahrain was democratic a few weeks ago.

“Let’s wait and see, because we don’t know what the protesting is really about.”

He added that he “hadn’t thought” about the commercial implications of cancelling the race. The last grand prix to be rescheduled was the 1985 Belgian race.

Ecclestone said: “We scheduled that later. We may be able to do the same with this one. I hope things will just carry on as normal. Obviously some people were killed, nobody’s happy with that, I’m quite sure.”

In Barcelona, where F1 teams are conducting the third of four pre-season tests, a meeting took place last night to discuss their approach to the crisis.

The fourth test is due to take place at the Sakhir circuit from March 3-6 but it is understood there is not much appetite from within F1 to travel to Bahrain in the present climate.

A spokesperson for the Circuit de Catalunya said that the teams had checked if it would be available to hold the March test if necessary. The circuit confirmed that it would be.

World champion Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time of the day in Barcelona, more than one second faster than Fernando Alonso in a Ferrari. Jenson Button was fifth fastest in his McLaren.

Agences de presses

Labels: Bahrain, Bernie, cautious, Ecclestone, Formula, riots, Telegraphcouk