Bahrain fiasco shows exactly where F1's priorities lie

Sport and politics is a well-worn theme; sport and revolution less so. The cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix was a big shock to the Formula One community. Formula One spends all its energies on politics within the sport and when the outside world interrupted its well-oiled juggernaut, confusion reigned. This megabucks sport-cum-industry is used to running the show and telling others what to do.

The powers that be in F1 didn't cover themselves in glory over the Bahrain affair. As revolution spread across Egypt and unrest among other Middle Eastern countries including Bahrain, F1 did nothing. Like all things in the sport, the reason lay in one direction - money.

The Bahrain ruling family shelled out a lot of cash for the right to host a grand prix. Some reports suggested it was as much as US$37 million in race fees. There was also speculation that a premium had been paid for it to be the first race on the calendar, although this was disputed by Bernie Ecclestone, the sports commercial rights holder.

Either way it was a lot of money to lose. As the disturbances mounted, so did the pressure for cancellation and yet Ecclestone sat on his hands. He may dispute this, but many feel Ecclestone did nothing so as not to have to bear the costs of cancellation. In the end, the royal family blinked first.

Even without this move, it's doubtful many teams would have gone. There were safety and financial reasons for their reluctance, but for many it was refreshing case of morality and ethics.

Driver Mark Webber, always a voice of sanity in the sport, brought a touch of perspective to things even before the announcement. 'When you hear of people losing their lives, this is a tragedy,' he said. 'It's probably not the best time to go there for a sporting event. They have bigger things, bigger priorities.'