F1 leadership tries to duck moral blunder with bull-shit ‘risk assessment’ argument. Time to retire Bernie and the rest of the FIA can follow!

FIA leaves door open for Bahrain GP rethink
Alan Baldwin, Reuters June 7, 2011, 3:39 am
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LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) – Formula One’s governing body has left the door open to a possible U-turn on holding a Bahrain Grand Prix this year after announcing last Friday that the postponed race was back on the calendar.

“If we have clear evidence that there is a risky situation this will obviously be taken into consideration,” International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Jean Todt told the BBC on Monday.

The race at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit would have been the March 13 season-opener but was called off after civil unrest prompted a bloody crackdown in the Gulf kingdom.

It was reinstated, despite the teams making clear that they would rather not go and opposition from human rights campaigners, for Oct. 30 after a fact-finding mission to Bahrain last week by Spanish FIA vice-president Carlos Gracia.

“Our special envoy had meetings with the human rights people responsible in Bahrain,” said Todt. “He met many people before the report was submitted and unanimously agreed.”

Red Bull’s Australian driver Mark Webber said on Saturday that the wrong decision had been taken but did not expect the race to happen anyway despite the FIA announcement.

“As a competitor I do not feel at all comfortable going there to compete in an event when, despite reassurances to the contrary, it seems inevitable that it will cause more tension for the people of that country,” he added.

Police in Bahrain clashed with Shi’ite marchers in a religious festival on Sunday night.