Manama: Bernie Ecclestone has assured protesters in Bahrain that he understands their grievances and is willing to meet opposition figures ahead of the Formula One race here this weekend.
“I’m happy to talk to anybody about this, as I did before,” he said in comments to British reporters published on Tuesday, mentioning that he had met members of opposition group Al Wefaq last year in London and Bahrain.
“We don’t want to see trouble. We don’t want to see people arguing and fighting about things we don’t understand, because we really don’t understand... Some people feel it’s our fault there are problems.”
The 82-year-old billionaire has said repeatedly that he has no cause for concern ahead of a race that had to be cancelled in 2011.
If some of his past comments have made light of the unrest, he made clear this time that he understood both sides of the argument and was not insensitive to the opposition.
“We are extremely sympathetic to them,” he said.
Formula One personnel and race drivers have begun arriving in Bahrain after the weekend’s grand prix in Shanghai, with protests picking up as the fourth race of the season approaches.
The local Gulf Daily News reported four explosions, including one in Manama’s financial centre, on Sunday night, with one caused by a gas cylinder placed in a stolen car in the Bahrain Financial Harbour parking area.
There is a visible police presence in Manama after the explosions.
Watched by many millions around the world, the grand prix puts Bahrain in the global spotlight — as well as some $40 million (Dh146 million) in the F1 coffers in annual hosting fees — and authorities are keen to use it to showcase the country. It also gives opponents an opportunity to highlight their grievances.
The opposition and government resumed reconciliation talks in February for the first time since 2011, but little progress has been reported.
“I wish they could sort things out,” Ecclestone added.
Meanwhile, Ecclestone has reportedly said Sao Paulo could be taken off the F1 calendar if the city fails to improve facilities at its Interlagos circuit.
The F1 chief has given local officials an ultimatum to upgrade commercial boxes, event rooms and sanitary areas in addition to the paddock and pit-lane areas, according to Xinhua.
“The design of the circuit is among the best in the world, but the facilities for the teams and fans are the worst on the calendar,” Ecclestone said.
“We can’t put pressure on other venues to improve when Interlagos is the way it is. The other circuits know what Interlagos is like and for that reason it puts us in a difficult position.”
Ecclestone said Rio de Janeiro and the resort city of Penha in Brazil’s southern state of Santa Catarina could host future races should Sao Paulo fail to meet F1’s demands by next year.
Interlagos, which is contracted to host an annual Grand Prix until 2015, was Brazil’s first F1 home in the 1970s before losing its host status to Rio de Janeiro’s Jacarepagua circuit in 1981. The event returned to Interlagos in 1990 and has remained there since.
