F1 - Teams Await Bahrain Event Decision

According to ITV, the Formula 1 fraternity is waiting for a decision about the Bahrain Grand Prix and pre-race test early next week, with UK Foreign Office advice not to travel to the troubled country piling further doubts on whether the season-opener can go ahead.

Last night in a meeting in Barcelona, the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) discussed options for both the 3-6 March and the 11-13 March grand prix at Bahrain's Sakhir circuit.

Christian Horner, boss of world champion squad Red Bull Racing, said afterwards that the teams would trust Ecclestone and the FIA's judgement over the Bahrain situation.

"It would be a great shame to lose the race but it's not the teams' decision - it's down to the promoter," Horner was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"Bernie and the FIA will have much more information than us and we will trust their decisions."

The GP2 Asia event scheduled for Sakhir this weekend was cancelled following the initial violence in Bahrain, when there were fatalities and injuries as the security forces cleared protesters who had gathered in Manama.

Interviewed by the BBC on Friday morning, Ecclestone suggested that the situation in Bahrain was calming and he was becoming more optimistic about the chances of the race going ahead.

But the picture in Bahrain is constantly changing, with further violent clashes on Friday, before the army and police pulled back today amid international calls for restraint.

The UK Foreign Office is currently warning against all "non-essential" travel to Bahrain.

Ecclestone said that he was now monitoring events in Bahrain and would hold off on a firm decision until early next week.

"From a realistic point of view it appears that things are changing hourly," he told the Press Association.

"I feel the most important thing now is to wait until after the weekend, to see what happens over the next few days, and then make a decision next Tuesday or Wednesday."