FIA fabricates ‘Day of Rage’ in scare attempt to cover Eccelstone moral blunder

Bahrain protesters promise ‘Day of Rage’ as drivers want safety assurances

By now everyone’s moved on from Formula 1′s decision to return to Bahrain this season, right?

Umm… not quite. Protesters in the country are promising a “Day of Rage” on October 30. Rubens Barrichello, the head of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, is saying that the F1 drivers are going to need some serious assurances they will be OK. And British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson says the sport may have “a disaster on its hands.”

And some of the reports I’m seeing are now questioning that “unanimous” vote of the World Motor Sport Council. No one seems able to present an actual count of those votes. An FIA spokesman has been unable to give just a basic tally.

Let loose the conspiracy theories of F1!

(Fun side note: Do you know who owns 30% of Nicolas Todt’s, son of Jean, GP2 race team? Would you be surprised if I said, “Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al Khalifa”? I didn’t think you would.)

I suspect the drivers and teams will be forced to answer the question, “Will you go to Bahrain?” more than a few times this week during Canadian press conferences. So stay tuned for that.

I wish I could determine how this is going to play out. Negative Camber’s piece pointing toward insurance and all the law-talking guys does seem one eventual path. I also wonder if the Bahrain government is not going to have to find the intestinal fortitude to call the race off — I assume that’s the best scenario for Bernie Ecclestone and F1′s owners.

You know who I really worry about from the F1 side of things? (I’m certainly concerned about the protesters and people of Bahrain.) I hate to say it, but I’m not that concerned about the drivers and team bosses. I know Jenson Button had his run-in in Brazil once, but these folks will probable be taken to the track in tanks. I wonder how the engineers and the caterers and the “regular” folks who fill out the teams will be treated. I’d think they are the ones who legitimately would be freaking out. I’d love to hear from one of them.

Go on, F1 journalists with access to the teams. Get in there and ask those people what they are thinking. That would be my first stop when I got to the Canadian GP. …source