Adam Cooper F1

Jean Todt says that he is prepared to reconsider the return of Bahrain to the F1 calendar.

The FIA president has replied to the FOTA request for a change by pointing out that the Concorde Agreement has precedence over the International Sporting Code. He also emphasised that the changes were proposed and voted for by Bernie Ecclestone.

He added that the delagete of the F1 Commission – Stefano Domenicali – voted in favour.

In other words he has tried to establish that the FIA has correctly followed procedures.

He says that the FIA “has at its heart the smooth running of the championship and the interests of the teams,” and is thus has asked the “Commercial Rights Holder to re-examine his calendar proposal, and if necessary, to submit a revised proposal to the World Council.”

The FIA has also released a copy of FOTA’s letter to the FIA, Bernie and Bahrain. It reads as follows:

“Following the announcement by the World Motor Sport Council of the revised calendar for the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship, on behalf of all Teams belonging to FOTA we would like to state that the amended 2011 calendar is unrealistic.

“Whilst we support the idea of racing in Bahrain – a country that has always hosted us with enthusiasm and warmth – once the security conditions have been fully reestablished, we feel that there are fundamental issues linked to the logistics of reintroducing such a race as proposed that have to be considered.

“As we have been planning around the 30th October as the date for the Indian Grand Prix, a change of this date would severely undermine our scheduled transport plans. Similarly, our sponsors, international media
and fans have organised travel and accommodation for the Indian Grand Prix and changing it now would cause an unacceptable degree of disruption and cost.

“Most importantly, the addition of the Indian race to the calendar for 2011 was a fantastic development for the sport and it is critical that we do not undermine its success by these changes. With regard to holding a race in Bahrain this year, we also have been warned that insurance coverage could not be necessarily granted and this is an additional cause of concern for us.

“We would also like to highlight that an extension of the 2011 F1 season in December could also prove unbearable for the staff of a vast majority of the Teams and it would conflict with our other internal activities already scheduled for that month.

“Finally, we would like to draw your attention to articles 65, 66 and 198 of the International Sporting Code that define the deadlines for the publication of calendars for FIA Championships (art. 198), as well as the procedures for modifying the dates and venues of the events (art. 65 and 66) where the consent of all competitors is required.

“We are, of course, willing to discuss all other aspects of the calendar with the FIA and the Commercial Rights Holder and look forward to doing so very soon. In the meantime, we trust that you will appreciate the necessity of reconsidering the calendar proposed for the remainder of the 2011 F1 season. We look forward to hearing your considerations and suggestions on these issues.”

A top Bahraini tourism representative has slammed Bernie Ecclestone for his U-turn on the race, an attack that will no doubt not go down well with the F1 boss.

Nabeel Kanoo, a Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry board member and head of its tourism committee, made his feelings clear.

“We were really optimistic after the event had been re-scheduled to take place in October,” he told the Gulf Daily News. “Now that it might not be happening, it’s a real blow. It is a shameful decision and smacks of hypocrisy. There was no reason to consider cancelling it.

“Mr Ecclestone, of course, has the final say but in spite of him, we will move on. Whatever happens, we will not be discouraged with this and reiterate that we are solidly behind our leadership and support its call for a national dialogue.”

Jean Todt has confirmed that he decided not to take any action against Lewis Hamilton regarding the Monaco outburst after an exchange of letters with the McLaren driver.

Hamilton was called to see the stewards after the race, and later wrote directly to Todt.

By bizarre co-incidence the drivers Lewis tangled with in Monaco – Massa and Maldonado – are both managed by Nicolas Todt.

“Lewis wrote to me and I wrote to him,” Todt Sr told British newspaper journalists. “I did not advertise it. It’s between him and the FIA. I could have asked our judicial court to address the problem. We never officially opened the case. He went to the stewards to apologise after. He went with his father.

“Maybe it would have been a better decision to put him to the court. To ban him for six Grands Prix. But he wrote to me and I wrote to him, and the thing is over.”

After taking a hit from Max Mosley earlier today the FIA’s Carlos Gracia has been further criticised in the light of his inspection of Bahrain on behalf of Jean Todt.

Mosley had said Gracia doesn’t speak English and was not qualified to explore the human rights question.

Now the campaigning organisation Avaaz – which has organised on online petition to stop the race being re-instated – has mocked Gracia’s report with the following release, reproduced here in full:

‘Today, the global campaigning organization Avaaz released a leaked copy of the FIA Bahrain report which informed Formula One’s decision Friday to go ahead with the race despite human rights concerns.

‘Following a government-sponsored PR tour through Bahrain, FIA Commissioner Carlos Gracia concluded in his report that there is an “atmosphere of total calm and stability,” that “life in Bahrain is completely normal again,” and that “no human rights were violated,” contradicting numerous accounts of brutal repression and violence against doctors, nurses, and citizens.

‘Ricken Patel, Executive Director at Avaaz said: “Reading the FIA’s Bahrain report is like stepping into the Twilight Zone. While FIA’s sham report says that no human rights have been violated, at least 31 Bahrain citizens have been killed and hundreds more tortured and imprisoned. Formula One based their decision to race in Bahrain on this dangerously irresponsible report, a decision now universally opposed by the F1 teams. Formula One must pull out of Bahrain immediately or have their reputation forever tarnished.”

‘The report details Gracia’s visit to Bahrain in late May during which he visited only with government bodies, did not confer with credible human rights groups, and did not talk with injured people, torture victims, or families of the people who have died.

‘Maryam Al-Khawaja, from the independent Bahrain Center for Human Rights, on seeing the report today, said: “The report is disastrously unbalanced. The FIA has chosen to turn a blind eye to the ongoing violations in Bahrain. The government should allow independent human rights groups to do their work in Bahrain.”

‘Independent journalists and human rights organizations confirm that at least 31 people have been killed since the protests began on 14th February 2011, and more than 800 arrests have been made, including 108 members of the Grand Prix Circuit’s permanent staff. At a trial yesterday of 47 Bahraini medical staff who were arrested for treating injured people at protests, it was revealed that detainees are being tortured.’

FOTA has written to the FIA to confirm that the teams want to race in India rather than Bahrain on October 30.

Max Mosley has said that the Bahrain GP won’t happen on October 30 because the teams have to agree to any changes to the 2011 calendar.

He also said that the FIA’s inspection of Bahrain, prior to the WMSC meeting, was ineffectual. Mosley was speaking on BBC Radio 4 this morning.

“I don’t think there’s the slightest chance that the Grand Prix will happen,” said Mosley, “because apart from anything else you cannot change the calendar in the way that is proposed to change without the unanimous agreement of the teams.

“Until the written agreement of the teams is forthcoming, you can’t actually change the date. It can’t be done.”

Mosley cited Article 66 of the FIA Sporting Code, which reads: “No amendments shall be made to the Supplementary Regulations after the beginning of the period for receiving entries, unless unanimous agreement is given by all competitors already entered, or by decision of the stewards of the meeting for reasons of force majeure or safety.”

Mosley made it clear that the Bahrain visit by Jean Todt’s Spanish representative Carlos Gracia was badly compromised.

“The gentleman they sent, a very, very nice man called Gracia, speaks no English and as far as I know speaks no Arabic, and was then taken round by the representatives of the government, and of course has no knowledge of what was really going on, and above all obviously didn’t ask to see the sorts of people that a human rights lawyer or someone of that kind would have asked to see.”

As previously eported, the human rights organisation he did see was not independent: “Apparently they were very close to the government, and I don’t think he would have been allowed to speak to them if they were not.”

Regarding the human rights issue, Mosley reiterated his stance: “The problem in Bahrain is that the Grand Prix would be used by the regime in order to further its aims, so it almost becomes an instrument of the regime in oppressing people who have been badly treated. That’s when it goes beyond what you can accept as a sporting body.

“What one has to remember is that there are human rights problems in every country. It’s not really fir sport to interfere with politics. It’s when the politicians actually use the sport to further their aims. In this particular case it will be the government using the GP to try and give the impression that all is well in the country, when it’s very far from the truth.”

In a bizarre twist Bernie Ecclestone now appears to be urging the teams to come out against Bahrain.

Ecclestone took  part in Friday’s WMSC meeting in Barcelona, along with team principals Stefano Domenicali and Vijay Mallya, and was part of what the FIA says was a unanimous vote.

The Times reports that Bernie has had a change of heart, and is now talking about putting the race at the end of the season on the basis that it will be easier to cancel it – while thus presumably restoring India to October 30.

Bernie apparently wants the teams to demand a new vote, presumably on the basis that he will no longer vote yes and it won’t be unanimous.

“The way things are at the moment, we have no idea what is going to happen,” Ecclestone told the paper. “Better that we move Bahrain to the end of the season and, if things are safe and well, then that is fine, we can go.

“If they are not, then we don’t go and there are no problems. We listened to that report from the FIA and that was saying there were no problems at all in Bahrain. But that is not what I am hearing and I think we can see that we need to be careful.

“The money makes no difference. It is there because the Bahrain people asked us to keep it. If there is no race, we will return it, but money is not the issue here. It is whether it is safe and good to have a race that is the issue. We can change this Oct 30 date by having a vote by fax if necessary. It can be done, and fast.”

The BBC’s Ted Kravitz grilled Jean Todt on the Bahrain GP today, and in a fascinating encounter the Frenchman did not present a particularly convincing case as he tried to explain why there was such a big effort to get the race back this year.

He confirmed that team principals Stefano Domenicali and Vijay Mallya voted in favour – something that will clearly weaken any stance FOTA may subsequently take.

“It was a vote to the World Council members, and it was a unanimous agreement,” he said. “Stefano Domenicali is representing the team, and he voted in favour, Vijay Mallya is not representing the team principals, he’s representing India, he’s the Indian representative.”

He also suggested that the things could change in Bahrain, which makes one wonder why it was worth taking the risk and creating the huge inconvenience of shifting India.

“We are talking about October 30. Believe me the situation will be monitored. If we will have clear evidence that it will be risky situation it will be obviously taken into consideration. But the decision was taken with the information and with the situation the way it is now.”

Asked about the safety aspect, Todt diverted into track and road safety before making his point: “It’s part of our DNA, and we will never accept to put any of our people from our community at risk.”

Pressed on whether the Bahrainis had guaranteed the safety of everyone involved in F1, Todt was clear. “Yes of course, of course we have been told about safety. But as I said before, and you rightly mention, things may change. I hope that things improve not only in Bahrain, but in all the region.”

Kravitz also asked the threat from opposition interests that there would be a ‘day of rage’ to mark the race.

“You cannot avoid people threatening. Do we have to leave because people want to move in one situation rather than another one, because people will threaten? We know that it can happen in our countries [France and the UK], so if there is some threatening that there will be a problem in a European country, does it means that you have to decide to stop organising one international event? I don’t think so.

“I can understand we are living in a world where a lot of things have happened, and I have some sympathy for emotion. When we have to get to a decision we must be pragmatic and we must take into consideration the evidence we have.”

Asked about criticism from Max Mosley and Mark Webber, Todt said that other people had alternative views – and said that Webber should visit Bahrain and see for himself.

The full interview can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk.

Former FIA president Max Mosley says that the decision to reinstate the Bahrain GP is a “mistake that will cost F1 dear.”

His comments are clearly aimed at his long time ally Bernie Ecclestone and also his successor at the FIA, Jean Todt. And while you might not have agreed with everything he’s said and done in the past, he does get to the point on this issue.

Mosley made his opposition to the Bahrain GP clear last week. Speaking in the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, Mosley says that sports administrators should steer clear of politics, noting that in this case F1 is being seen to support the Bahrain authorities.

“We will be told that holding the Grand Prix in October will show that, once again, Bahrain is a happy, peaceful country,” said Mosley in a first person column. “So why is it wrong for Formula One to go along with this? Why is this different to running an event in any number of countries where people are oppressed, kept in poverty, held without trial and mistreated (or worse) in prison?

“Surely the line has to be drawn when a sporting event is not mere entertainment in a less-than-perfect country, but is being used by an oppressive regime to camouflage its actions. If a sport accepts this role, it becomes a tool of government. If Formula One allows itself to be used in this way in Bahrain, it will share the regime’s guilt as surely as if it went out and helped brutalise unarmed protesters.”

Mosley goes on to describe how the initial peaceful protests were met with “brutal repression,” and how the Saudi Arabian was army called in.

“Having carried out these horrific acts, the Bahrain government wants to clean up its image. That’s where the Grand Prix comes in. By running the race they hope to show the world the troubles were just a small, temporary difficulty and everything is now back to normal.

“By agreeing to race there, Formula One becomes complicit in what has happened. It becomes one of the Bahrain government’s instruments of repression. The decision to hold the race is a mistake which will not be forgotten and, if not reversed, will eventually cost Formula One dear.”

Mosley’s full column can be found at http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Having made his thoughts clear prior to yesterday’s FIA decision to schedule the Bahrain GP for October 30, Mark Webber deserves huge credit after reiterating his feelings on his personal website today.

Other drivers have kept quiet, which in the case of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button is inevitable given that the Bahrain government is the major shareholder in McLaren. Others have no such ties yet have preferred to say nothing.

Intriguingly, he still feels that the race might not go ahead on October 30.

“My opinion is unchanged since I was first asked about this in late February,” said Mark. “Even though a decision has been made, I’ll be highly surprised if the Bahrain Grand Prix goes ahead this year.

“In my personal opinion, the sport should have taken a much firmer stance earlier this year rather than constantly delaying its decision in hope of being able to re-schedule it in 2011. It would have sent a very clear message about F1’s position on something as fundamental as human rights and how it deals with moral issues.

“It’s obvious that the parties involved have struggled to reach a decision but sadly I feel that they still haven’t made the right one. Like it or not, F1 and sport in general isn’t above having a social responsibility and conscience. I hope F1 is able to return to Bahrain eventually but now isn’t the right time.

“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. I don’t understand why my sport wishes to place itself in a position to be a catalyst for that.”

The FIA has reaffirmed its commitment to the 2013 turbo regulations – but hinted that there could be a postponement of their implementation.

The FIA says that there could be a vote this month to move the date, but clearly, staying that, “in consultation with the main stakeholders, and following the outcome of this consultation, a fax vote by the WMSC could be considered by 30 June latest to redefine the implementation date of these technical regulations.”

As had previously been suggested, there won’t be a dramatic change to the aero rules after all, with the 2011 package forming the basis of the 2013 regs.

The FIA has confirmed the 2013 rules as follows:

– Power units will be four cylinders, 1.6 litre with high pressure gasoline injection up to 500 bar with a maximum of 12,000 rpm, with extensive energy management and energy recovery systems (now known as ERS), reflecting the decision taken by the WMSC in December 2010

– The aerodynamic regulations have been based on 2011 rules, with modifications in order to improve the aerodynamic efficiency: together with the power train rules, this will enable a 35% reduction in fuel consumption

– The height of the tip of the nose will be limited to ensure better compatibility in a T-bone style accident

– A limitation on transmissions (gear ratios, number of gearboxes) in order to decrease costs

– The overall weight of the car must be no less than 660kg