The Bahrain Grand Prix may not go ahead this season after Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone revealed he had urged the 12 teams involved in the sport to voice their opposition to the decision and demand a re-vote.

The season opening race was postponed after fighting between anti-government protestors and military forces broker out in the Gulf state earlier this year, but was reinstated after a meeting between the World Motorsport Council in Barcelona on Friday.

Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, came in for heavy criticism following the decision as more reports of unrest and human rights violations emerged, which flew in the face of FIA President Jean Todt’s proclamation that “the situation is very peaceful in Bahrain. You should go there and have a look.”

Teams, drivers and sponsors have aired their concerns over the race going ahead from both a moral and logistical point of view, and now Ecclestone has cast further doubts over the race -which has been scheduled for the 30^th October, the same date as the inaugural Indian Grand Prix – and has pushed for teams to make a stand.

“The 80 year-old has had a change of heart and written to Formula One’s 12 teams urging them to express their discontent and demand a re-vote” Ecclestone told the Daily Telegraph.

“The way things are at the moment, we have no idea what is going to happen, better that we move Bahrain to the end of the season and, if things are safe and well, then that is fine, we can go.”

“If they are not, then we don’t go and there are no problems. We listened to that report from the FIA and that was saying there were no problems at all in Bahrain. But that is not what I am hearing and I think we can see that we need to be careful.

“The money makes no difference. It is there because the Bahrain people asked us to keep it. If there is no race, we will return it, but money is not the issue here. It is whether it is safe and good to have a race that is the issue. We can change this Oct 30 date by having a vote by fax if necessary. It can be done, and fast.”  He added.

“The 80 year-old has had a change of heart and written to Formula One’s 12 teams urging them to express their discontent and demand a re-vote” – Bernie Ecclestone

Despite his earlier insistence that Bahrain was ready to host the race, Todt admitted the FIA may be forced to reconsider their decision if further reports of violence emerge.

“If we have clear evidence that there is a risky situation this will obviously be taken into consideration,” he said in an interview with the BBC.

Todt also said the WMSC had based their unanimous decision on a seven page report compiled by FIA vice-president Carlos Gracia – a report described by the Guardian newspaper as “simplistic”.

Earlier in the day former FIA president Max Mosely insisted the race wouldn’t go ahead, saying he would be “astonished” if it did. Earlier this month Mosely described the Bahrain Grand Prix as a “PR disaster” for F1 sponsors, who are said to be considering removing their logo’s from cars should the race go ahead.

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