FIA comes under renewed pressure over F1's Bahrain GP

The International Motorsport Federation (FIA) has come under renewed pressure to reconsider its decision to allow Formula One's Bahrain Grand Prix to go ahead after a group of British politicians expressed their unease at the situation in the country.
With little sign of an improvement in the political crisis that has enveloped the Gulf state over the last year, members of the UK House of Lords last week wrote an open letter to The Times newspaper to express their views on the situation.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, Lord Alton, Lord Avebury, Baroness Falkner of Margravine, Lord Hylton, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and Lord Boswell all called for the FIA to rethink their stance on the race, which is currently scheduled to take place on 22nd April.
The letter read "We note with concern the decision by Formula 1 to go ahead with the race in Bahrain scheduled for April.
"The continued political crisis in Bahrain is a troubling source of instability in the Gulf region, and the lack of any move towards political reconciliation concerns those who wish to see Bahrain move in the direction of greater democratic accountability."
The 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled after months of controversy following civil unrest in the Arabian Gulf nation. While many expected the event to be dropped, the Bahrain GP was confirmed as one of 20 events on the 2012 F1 calendar by the FIA in December.
The politicians stated that the outcome of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), which had hoped to calm the situation, has instead resulted in a worsening of the political climate.
The letter added "two months on we see an entrenchment of the positions of both sides which risks letting more extreme voices dictate the progress of the conflict.
"Given the current dire situation, with daily street protests and the deaths of more civilians, we do not believe that the time is right for Formula One to return to Bahrain.
"Bahrain is a major trading hub and financial centre in the Middle East but this brings greater responsibility. Human rights and economic stability go hand in hand and the government of Bahrain must do more to persuade international events and corporations that Bahrain is a stable place to do business. Until it takes concerted measures to reform the electoral, penal and judicial processes, international observers as well as ordinary Bahrainis can have little confidence that Bahrain is on the path to reform and political stability. We urge the FIA to reconsider its decision to continue with the race."