Ecclestone not phased by anti-government protests

Formula One is once again set to return to Bahrain this month.

The 2011 Formula One World Championship was set to hold its curtain raiser in Bahrain, but after political unrest in the country and surrounding regions, the event was initially postponed before being dropped.

An conservative estimate that at least 35 people were killed during the protests and attempted uprising against the country’s Sunni elite was lost.

A year later Formula One returned to Bahrain, despite pressure from human rights campaigners and politicians in the United Kingdom to not hold the event.

Members of the House of Lords had expressed their desire to see the Formula One race cancelled for a second year and with tensions still high in the country, the vice president for Bahrain Center for Human Rights Nabeel Rajab had told a Arabian Business website that they would be calling for a boycott.

But the race went ahead despite the protests and campaigns and the Formula One circus passed through the country with a limited amount of fuss, albeit with a hugely stepped up security plan.

On the second anniversary of the uprising, ten civilians and several policemen were injured in protests, whilst banners and slogans have once again called for the race to be cancelled.

However Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes that there will be even fewer issues and worries this year and has played down potential fears.

‘I haven’t had any negative reports from anybody there, Somebody who actually lives there came to see me [last week] and said everything’s very normal.’ he told reuters.

‘I think they [the two sides] are talking now anyway… so I don’t think they’ll upset the talks by making protests, It didn’t help them last year, so if they had any brains they’d just get on with their talks.’