Formula One’s carefree millionaires come face-to-face with bloody, civil strife this weekend when the sport defies large sections of international opinion by racing at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The fourth round of the world championship returns to the Sakhir circuit, a year after it was cancelled due to the bitter political and sectarian strife which continues to rock the Gulf kingdom.
Tensions have been mounting ahead of Sunday’s race.
Protests have featured hundreds of people carrying banners calling for a boycott and a demonstration was staged near Bahrain’s international airport as the teams began arriving in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.
“Our demand: Freedom not Formula,” read one banner.
“We are human without rights,” said another.
The F1 circus has closed ranks, however, following the decision to proceed with the race taken last weekend by the sport’s ruling body, the FIA.
Former world champion Jenson Button spoke for the majority when he claimed he had confidence in the organisers.
“I trust in the FIA that they know all the information so we have to trust in their decision. I don’t think they will ever want to put us at risk,” said the McLaren driver.
“If everything is straightforward and nothing happens, it’s not even going to be in the back of my mind at all.”
But Mark Webber said the extra security arrangements laid on by the besieged authorities can’t guarantee total serenity.
“I’ve tried to watch the news to get a balanced view of the Bahrain situation,” said the Australian at last weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.
“I want to race but you can’t ignore what’s going on and we all hope things go smoothly.
“It’s a difficult decision. There will be added security, but not everybody can have that and it doesn’t make me feel comfortable.”
FIA president Jean Todt has been conspicuous by his silence on the issue, while the sport’s chief executive and commercial ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone was reported as swearing and storming out of interviews last weekend in Shanghai.
Four days after seeing Nico Rosberg deliver Mercedes their first win as a works team in 57 years, team motorsport chief Norbert Haug played down high expectations of another triumph this Sunday.
“We are keeping our feet on the ground because this year, more than ever before in the history of Formula 1, small details can take you from hero to zero — just three tenths of a second separated P1 to P11 in qualifying last Saturday,” said Haug.
Rosberg became the third different winner in this season’s opening three races when he came home more than 20 seconds clear of Button.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is third overall for Ferrari with 37 points ahead of Webber on 36 and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel on 28, but he has little hope of a triumph in the Gulf.
“I think we are in for another difficult weekend at Sakhir,” Alonso told the Ferrari website.
“I know we have a good record in Bahrain … but the past means nothing. This weekend for us is all about damage limitation.”
Those sentiments summed up the feeling of most of the F1 fraternity as they prepared for a testing weekend on and off the circuit.