Official: Bahrain Grand Prix postponed

21 February 2011

Officials at the Sakhir International Circuit have announced that the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix has been cancelled as a result of the current political unrest in the country. With the statement having come from the country’s Royal family, the final pre-season Formula 1 test session has also been called off. The 2011 season will now begin two weeks later, in Australia on 27 March.

Talk of Bahrain has very much overshadowed the last four days’ of testing in Barcelona, with the majority of drivers having expressed their fears for the event and Formula 1 commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone having placed its destiny in the hands of the Royal family.

‘Bahrain International Circuit announces Bahrain’s withdrawal from the first race of the F1 season,’ reads the track’s official Twitter feed. ‘HRH Crown Prince informed Formula One’s Bernie Ecclestone of the BIC’s decision by telephone earlier today.’

“We felt it was important for the country to focus on immediate issues of national interest,” the Crown Prince commented.” The statement continued: ‘At the present time the country’s entire attention is focused on building a new national dialogue for Bahrain.’

It is likely that the race will be placed further down the calendar, possibly becoming Round 18 between India and Abu Dhabi. Today's news marks the first date change for a Grand Prix since Belgium 1985, when the Spa track surface was breaking up.

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