Bahrain GP: F1 drivers and teams don’t want to race

The FIA may have voted unanimously to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix, but it is increasingly clear that the controversial decision is not receiving united support from Formula One teams or drivers.

Amid political outcry that the decision legitimises a government accused of violently crushing democratic protest, there is behind the scenes pressure from F1 teams that casts serious doubts over whether the race, now scheduled for October 30, will actually take place.

Mark Webber, the Australian Red Bull driver who finished in third place last season, was one of the first to publicly break ranks. "Even though a decision has been made, I'll be highly surprised if the Bahrain Grand Prix goes ahead this year," he said on his website.

"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."

It would seem Webber is not alone. Rubens Barrichello, veteran F1 racer and current president of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, said that all drivers have "expressed concern and demanded security for the race in Bahrain".

FIA president Jean Todt has stressed that the decision to reschedule the Bahrain Grand Prix – the original 13 March date was cancelled due to political unrest – was taken after a report revealed there was a "stable situation" in the country. The findings, however, have been seriously disputed by international organisations who claim tear gas, rubber bullets and grenades are still being used by the government to stamp out peaceful protests.

The Formula One Teams Association, which represent all teams except Hispania, is yet to back the FIA's decision and has announced it will be assessing the decision. And it has already been suggested that key F1 players are pushing for the Grand Prix to be scrapped.

"The likelihood of the race actually taking place remains as uncertain as ever," wrote the BBC's Formula One correspondent Andrew Benson. "I understand that the teams all feel that going to Bahrain this season is not a good idea."

"I'm told the greatest concerns are held by three organisations - Renault, Mercedes and tyre supplier Pirelli," he continued. "As the three biggest corporate entities in F1, this would not be a surprise. They have well developed corporate social responsibility programmes, and they have the most to lose from a PR point of view from the inevitable negative fall-out that holding a race this year would create."

FIA president Todt, presumably aware of this opposition, has created the political space to overturn the decision if necessary, stating: "If we have clear evidence that there is a risky situation this will obviously be taken into consideration." With internal pressure for a cancellation growing, and Bahrain's political situation remaining precarious, there is absolutely no certainty that the 30 March Grand Prix will actually go ahead. ·