Formula 1: A Dangerous Mix

Anti-F1 Graffiti in Bahrain

If the ongoing saga that is the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix teaches us anything, it is that sport and politics are an odd and dangerous mixture. The two very rarely go well hand in hand, and they don't exactly compliment the other very well; a bit like fish fingers and custard for any Doctor Who fans out there.

It is still surprising to me that the race this weekend is going ahead at all. The Bahrain Grand Prix has hardly established itself as one of the most valuable venues on the calender since its inception back in 2004. A country with little to no tradition or interest in the sport outside of financial ones, the Bahrain race is run on the Sakhir circuit; a track set against the endlessly dull backdrop of sandy desert with little character to speak of. 

Unlike some of the other new venues; Malaysia, Singapore and China, not one of the races hosted here sticks out as being memorable or pivotal.  Unless you count 2010, but that sticks out for all the wrong reasons, as being ball-achingly boring. As an event, it doesn't hold a candle to Monza, Silverstone, Suzuka or even Imola. The atmosphere isn't there, there's no buzz; that much is evident even through the power of television. 

The anti-F1 protests being staged this week

Which is why its fairly surprising that the ongoing unrest, that caused last years event to be cancelled, hasn't led to the race being dropped entirely. Sport and politics are a dangerous mix, and a worldwide spectacle such as Formula One can't be seen to turn a blind eye to the ongoing human-rights issues that are still being perpetrated in Bahrain. I don't pretend to be any expert on the matter, quite the opposite in fact. I'm merely a fan of the sport. And as a fan, I'd like the sports image to remain unscathed, something that isn't going to happen now that the race is going ahead. 

As you can see from the top picture, the infamous F1 logo having the F substituted with a smoking sub-machine gun is hardly the kind of imagery fans are usually accustomed to seeing attached to their sport. The banners and protests in the second image show how the addition of a political agenda to sport can be harmful to the sports image. Is it right that the lavish and exuberant race goes ahead whilst this kind of unrest takes place just outside the circuit? The only right thing to do in this situation is to drop the race. It's not F1's place to get involved with these people's strife and staging a global sporting event in their backyard will do nothing to end it.