Bahrain has asked Formula One’s (F1) governing body to reschedule its grand prix when it meets tomorrow, insisting the country is returning to normal despite lasting political tensions.
Zayed Rashid Alzayani, chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit, which holds the Bahrain Grand Prix, told reporters that the Gulf country was ready to “hold the race today.”
Alzayani said he was hopeful it would be held in October or -November to coincide with the Abu Dhabi GP on Nov. 13 so that teams would not be forced to go back and forth to Europe or some other destination.
It was the first time Bahrain has formally said its Bahrain Motor Federation has proposed rescheduling the March race, which was canceled by Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa over anti-government protest.
“We feel we are in position to have that event back,” Alzayani said. “Things have calmed down tremendously in Bahrain. Life is back to normal. We are happy to have the race anytime really.”
Alzayani said he has “received positive feedback” when talking with F1 officials, teams and drivers about a new date. However, some team principals, including Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicali, have expressed concerns about extending the season to Dec. 11 because of logistical challenges.
Alzayani dismissed such -concerns, saying that this year’s season would still be a week shorter since it started two weeks late.
“If the world council decides to have a race, the teams will have to come,” he said. “A, they get paid, and B, they have to score points. It’s not like there will be a race and no teams will show up.”
If, and when, the race goes ahead will be decided during tomorrow’s World Motor Sport Council meeting in Barcelona, Spain.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later