Bernie Ecclestone has revealed he was not happy Bahrain organisers used the acronym 'F1' in its political slogan for last weekend's race. The F1 chief executive was highly supportive of the island Kingdom's intensely controversial return to the sport's calendar, insisting Bahrain will retain its grand prix "forever".
But when asked about the banners around the Sakhir circuit and the island Kingdom that read 'UniF1ed', 81-year-old Ecclestone admitted to the Mirror: "We never put it there. We told them to take it down, not to use it. I saw other things, not like that." But Sakhir circuit chief Zayed Alzayani wore a cap bearing the slogan throughout the grand prix weekend, even when in Ecclestone's company.
Briton Ecclestone, however, denied the Bahrain slogan only intensified the opposition's anger. "Before they started using that slogan there was trouble about F1," he insisted. "People make excuses but there are only two sports where politics come into it; us and the Olympics because the profile is big enough. There was a big golf match in Bahrain before F1 arrived and there was no problems there. We are not here to tell people how to run their country."
Ecclestone, however, was angry with some of F1's British journalists in Bahrain, following their harsh criticism of the decision to push ahead with the race. "I saw Bernie get angry in the press room with some British journalists," revealed O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper correspondent Livio Oricchio. "I had never seen him that angry." (GMM)
Ecclestone told Bahrain to take down slogan 'UniF1ed'
- Published on 25 Apr 2012 12:13
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- By: Rob Veenstra
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Spain
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Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
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Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
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Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
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Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
United Kingdom
Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
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