The speculation has been carved in stone as the organisers of the Bahrain Grand Prix have announced that they will not be hosting the opening race of the 2011 Formula One season following a period of political unrest in the country.
Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa relayed the decision to F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and had this statement to make, “At the present time the country’s entire attention is focused on building a new national dialogue for Bahrain.”
“Although Bernie 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,” he added.
Ecclestone chimed in on the matter with this to say, “It’s sad that Bahrain has had to withdraw from the race, we wish the whole nation well as they begin to heal their country.”
Due to the postponement of the season opener, the new season will now kick off with the Australian Grand Prix on 27 March, two weeks later than scheduled, and that decision has been graciously received by some of the team bosses.
“The recent situation in Bahrain has been very difficult for the country. We feel the decision taken by the Crown Prince is wise and we fully support it,” said Renault team boss Eric Boullier.
A further decision on the rescheduling of the race has not been decided on yet or even if there will be one.
Source: Autosport
