Formula One, burning rubber

Sitra in January 2012

I know Bernie Ecclestone says Bahrain is safe and his stupid circus should come to town, but I was there last Friday night.

This time, I wasn't in Sitra where I had cycled in January. That area is where a lot of the poorer Shia majority live and the demonstrations kick off on a daily basis.

I was in a taxi in Manama going from a slightly dodgy bar to a very dodgy bar. Manama is the "nice" part of town, where a lot of embassies are, along with hotels that house "entertainment complexes". So I was surprised to see the familiar plumes of black smoke rising up from a nearby street. The protestors were risking more than singed eyebrows by starting fires in this part of town. There are enough police/army/security around to deter most people or do serious injury to the rest.

January 2012: Simultaneous fires in different parts of tow

Mr Ecclestone is probably correct in saying that it is safe to have his race in Bahrain this year. Along with the teams, he'll be whisked from the airport, straight to the other side of the island. He probably won't even have to sit and wait for ages at the huge roadworks that skirt the edge of Manama. He'll quickly be safely ensconced in his own little world, but if he comes out of the hospitality lounge and looks towards the East, he should be able to see where the real action is happening and smell the burning rubber.