to bahrain or not to bahrain

Well, as I type this now it currently looks like the Bahrain Grand Prix is going ahead.

Last year the event was cancelled by the organisers due to the protests and Arab spring type unrest.  This year the promoters apparently want to stage the race.

The FIA does have the power to call off the race and in theory the teams / drivers could boycott the event.

Already some people in force India have come into contact with unrest, having basically driven into an area where a protest was going on and people threw petrol bombs at them.  From the reports the implication is that the protestors were not specifically after the Force India people, they just got caught up in it.  However, if that's what happens when they're not specifically after the teams, I wonder what would happen if they were?

The opposition movement has, I believe, stated that they would not target the teams or anyone coming into the country to do with the race, but they have stated that the Grand Prix represents everything that's wrong with the country.  It was brought in by the ruler and that's who they're protesting against.

I guess one of the real fears I have are that the teams will get caught up in it - probably in a similar style to the Force India incident: not deliberately, but in a way that doesn't matter.

The other thing I'm afraid of is that the protestors will do something daft.  If they try to storm the track or in any way interfere there are all sorts of possibilities for things that could go horribly wrong.  While F1 cars can stop incredibly quickly, they're still having to do so from 200mph on some occasions.  And we know they crash into each other all the time - some protestor running on to the track could be a horrible tragedy.

Or they may protest and be cracked down on.  This would be horrible because it means the sport is part of the cause of people get hurt or killed or whatever.

It will also not exactly help the sport's reputation.  We're already known to many people for the vast sums of money that go sloshing around.  The idea we're staging a race basically because some Arab king wants to pay to stage it and the sport doesn't have the courage to not take his money will not be a good result.

Who knows, it may go without a hitch.  But I've a feeling that even if the race event goes smoothly F1 won't come out of the weekend well.