2011 cancellation On 21 February 2011, it was announced that the
Bahrain Grand Prix scheduled for 13 March was cancelled due to the
2011 Bahraini protests. On 3 June, the FIA rescheduled the race for 30 October. The former world champion
Damon Hill urged Formula One not to reinstate the event, warning that if it went ahead, “we will forever have the blight of association with repressive methods to achieve order”. Bernie Ecclestone told the BBC, “Hopefully there’ll be peace and quiet, and we can return in the future, but of course it’s not on. The schedule cannot be rescheduled without the agreement of the participants – they’re the facts”. A week after announcing the rescheduling, Formula One cancelled the race altogether. The activist Salah Abbas Habib was killed during a demonstration on the eve of the Grand Prix, and the photojournalist Ahmed Ismael Hassan al-Samadi was fatally shot while covering an anti-Grand Prix protest. On 9 April 2012,
The Guardian reported that a senior team member, speaking anonymously, said his view was representative, “The Formula One teams want the sport’s governing body to cancel – or at least postpone – the Bahrain Grand Prix … I feel very uncomfortable about going to Bahrain. If I’m brutally frank, the only way they can pull this race off without incident is to have a complete military lockdown there. And I think that would be unacceptable, both for F1 and for Bahrain. But I don’t see any other way they can do it”. Despite the protests, the Grand Prix was held as scheduled.
Continued controversy Since the global media attention in 2011 and 2012, human rights groups have continued to report abuses and arrests linked to F1 protests. Photographer Ahmed Humaidan was among about 30 people jailed for roles in the 2012 demonstrations, while activist Najah Ahmed Yousif was imprisoned and physically and sexually abused after criticising the Bahrain Grand Prix on social media. Rights organisations have criticised
Formula One Group and
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile for failing to uphold their own Statement of Commitment to Respect for Human Rights, arguing that by ignoring political crackdowns, F1 is complicit in the suffering of dissidents. In 2018, after sustained pressure, F1 said it was “concerned” for Yousif, but there has been no known follow-up. A coalition of human rights groups, led by the
Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, claims that the Bahrain Grand Prix has become a focal point for protests and abuse committed by security forces. They also accuse F1 of providing invaluable PR for Bahrain’s government and of helping normalise human rights violations. In letters to
Lewis Hamilton, three
political prisoners praised his stance on human rights and urged him to raise awareness of their plight. The event has been widely cited as an example of
sportswashing.
2020 postponement In response to the
COVID-19 pandemic, organisers announced that no spectators would be permitted at the race scheduled for 22 March 2020. Two weeks before the event, it was indefinitely postponed. It was later rescheduled for 29 November and became one of two races hosted at the Bahrain International Circuit across consecutive weekends, with the second race held on the outer layout and named the
Sakhir Grand Prix.
2020 controversy Bahrain hosted two races in November 2020, but the decision drew criticism from human rights groups and from seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton urged F1 to “face its responsibilities” and address human rights issues in host countries. A consortium of organisations led by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy wrote to the F1 CEO
Chase Carey, warning that the race had again become a focal point for protests and abuses by Bahraini security forces. The Bahraini government denied allegations of sportswashing.
Legal complaint over Bahrain contract On 27 October 2022, F1 was served with a legal complaint from the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and two Bahraini torture survivors, Najah Yusuf and Hajer Mansoor, alleging it ignored human rights violations when it announced in February that the Bahrain Grand Prix would remain on the calendar until 2036. The claim, filed through the UK National Contact Point (NCP), accused them of breaching guidelines set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
2026 cancellation The
2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled for 12 April, was cancelled on 14 March due to the ongoing
Iran war. ==Winners==