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Motorsport fans asking ‘will it or won’t it go on’ have finally been answered.
An official statement by the Bahrain International Circuit confirms that the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix will not be postponed like the Chinese round of the championship but will be held as a participant-only event.
This decision was made in consultation with the circuit’s international partners and the kingdom’s national health taskforce.
Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, BIC’s chief executive, told the GulfWeekly: “We of course share the fans’ disappointment, but safety has to be our first priority. It’s important to note that this decision was not taken lightly.
“The conclusion that we came to together with our key stakeholders and the kingdom’s national health taskforce reflects our responsibility to supporters and race goers. On that note, I would also like to acknowledge and thank our colleagues throughout the government, not least from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Interior, for all the incredible work they are doing to mitigate the virus and keep us safe – and also for the support they are providing to us.”
The announcement states that given the spread of Covid-19 globally, a major sporting event which attracts thousands of international travellers and local fans to interact in close proximity, would not be the right thing to do.
As of March 9, the corona cases in Bahrain had risen to 95 and the kingdom is continuing to discourage large gatherings to avoid its further spread.
The statement also says: “To ensure that neither the sport nor its global supporter base is unduly impacted; Bahrain’s own early actions to prevent, identify and isolate cases of individuals with Covid-19 has been extremely successful to date. The approach has involved rapid, proactive measures, identifying those affected by the virus, of which the overwhelming majority of cases relate to those travelling into the country by air. Aggressive social distancing measures have further increased the effectiveness of preventing the virus’ spread, something that would clearly be near impossible to maintain were the race to have proceeded as originally planned.”
The race weekend will still go ahead as a televised event but all entertainment off the track has been cancelled.
Shaikh Salman added: “We will not have any fans at the circuit. For anyone who has already bought a ticket, we have a clear refund policy in place. All ticket holders have been contacted by our sales team who are arranging the refund process. The support races will go ahead as planned, as per the weekend schedule.
“We are putting in place all the necessary procedures for all the teams, F1 personnel and media who are set to arrive in Bahrain very soon. It is important to remember that we still have a full race weekend to put on. We mustn’t forget that we have almost 100 million people watching our race on TV so that’s a lot of people watching us.
“My message to the fans is that we share your disappointment that they cannot have the F1 experience with us live at the track. However, I know that they understand the important reasons for our decision. Please continue to support us as you have done for many years and we will put on a great show for all which they can follow on TV. Finally, I would tell fans that we promise to make up for it next year!”
The F1 season is set to begin with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday. China was scheduled to hold the fourth race of the season on April 19, but that was postponed due to the virus outbreak and no new date has been set.
