The surrounding controversy about whether Formula One should be in Bahrain is on its way to becoming an annual sporting fixture. Clashes between the Shia opposition and the establishment appeared to have quietened since last year’s grand prix, when it was used as a political vehicle by both sides.
However in the last week, as F1 teams touched down in the capital of Manama, it has flared up again, fuelled by a propaganda fight driven through social media.
Security is tight, nowhere more so than the roads to the circuit which are lined with police cars, and heavily-armed soldiers patrolling the race track perimeter.
Last year there was great concern among F1 personnel the event could come under attack, but the mood in the paddock this time is of business as usual.
Still, FIA president Jean Todt has done little for his reputation by electing not to attend the most politically sensitive event on the racing calendar.
On the track, Fernando Alonso is revving up to take the reins of this year’s championship, after his peerless performance in China last weekend. Were it not for a smash in Malaysia, he would surely top the table right now.
However modern F1 is all about consistency, which is why Sebastian Vettel leads and Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton are in the mix after three rounds.
Vettel is always quick in Bahrain and won last year, while Alonso has enjoyed three victories here. It’s hard to believe, given he fought to the wire for the title last season, that Alonso hadn’t won a race in nine months before China.
‘Not winning for a while is very difficult to deal with,’
Alonso told us last week, adding that he was now feeling ‘very happy’.
But his confidence in Ferrari’s pace is still not 100 per cent, citing Red Bull as the fastest in Shanghai race trim.
‘On race pace, Sebastian was quickest in all the stints but he had chosen a strange strategy for qualifying, In Australia we were clearly not the quickest, and in Malaysia we struggled a little bit. We need to keep improving.’ He told the press, yesterday.
Like most of the teams, Ferrari will bring a revised car to the European races starting in a month.
‘Hopefully then we can be at the level of the best cars,’ added Alonso, who reckons Raikkonen, rather than Vettel, is the biggest threat right now. Kimi is having a fantastic start to the season and driving maybe better than anyone else.’
Image:
Jiwang
