Formula One teams and drivers need not worry about their safety when they are in Bahrain this weekend, Bahrain International Circuit chairman Zayed Al Zayani said. Speaking to Reuters before the first members of the travelling circus arrived in the kingdom on Monday, Al Zayani said the decision to go ahead with the grand prix was not putting anyone at risk.
"We wouldn't take a decision on a gamble," he said at the Chinese Grand Prix. "I think it's a calculated decision, we've weighed our options and we are committed to the grand prix and to its success.
"I don't think anything drastic will happen. It's not Afghanistan, it's not Syria. I don't see why anything should happen this year that hasn't happened in the previous years," he added.
Formula One's governing body said last Friday that the race would be going ahead, despite calls from activists for it to be cancelled due to continuing unrest in the kingdom.
"You have some stuff going on in villages, but it's nothing that can't be handled," said Al Zayani. "I have no doubt at all that Formula One is not a target, not the teams, not the media."
Some drivers flew in on Monday, although others were spending time relaxing in nearby Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Advance personnel from Formula One Management have been in Manama for some days already.
Some freight is already in Bahrain while the cars should arrive at the circuit on Tuesday. Practice for the fourth race of the season starts on Friday and Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said he will be at the track.
Al Zayani said it was safe to go racing, even if there were some demonstrations across the island. "I think they (the protesters) will probably look out for the media to try and get their message abroad, which is fine. Let them express their opinion," he said.
The race is important financially for Bahrain, with organisers saying it brings in some half a billion dollars in spending. "The country has gone through a tough year, we are still wounded in some aspects or another and we are on the way to regaining our health, so to speak. I think the race will be positive to the country," Al Zayani said.
"We need it as a country, we deserve it. I think we have passed the worst of the incidents and we need help to restore the country back on track."
Earlier this week, Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) welcomed the statement which the FIA has issued regarding next week’s Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, together with the clarification provided by the Commercial Rights Holder, following recent media speculation.
BIC has been clear throughout recent weeks and months that the security situation in Bahrain is suitable for the staging of a major sporting event. This assessment has been provided by experienced figures, from both inside and outside the Bahraini government, to motor racing entities which have travelled to Bahrain to do their own research. The certainty of those assessments have meant that the BIC has been able to prepare as usual for the staging of the F1 Grand Prix and is therefore wholly confident that the event will be organised with the efficiency that has been the hallmark of the BIC in the past.