Formula 1 kicks off the season on Sunday in Bahrain, a small oil state in the Middle East with a questionable record for human rights and press freedom. Yet the premier class has been there since 2004 and the future of the race is guaranteed until 2036. What is one of the biggest sports in the world doing in Bahrain?
“Het is niet vanzelfsprekend dat we na 2025 nog op de grid staan”, stelt een realistische Robert van Overdijk in de paddock van Bahrein. De circuitdirecteur van Zandvoort is naar de oliestaat gekomen voor een overleg met de promotors van de Grands Prix. “De kans is aanwezig dat races in Europa moeten rouleren. Wij bijvoorbeeld met Spa-Francorchamps of een eventuele race in Duitsland.”
Het wordt vechten om een plekje op de toekomstige Formule 1-kalender, vooral voor de Europese Grands Prix. “De Formule 1 wil zich nog verder over de wereld verspreiden”, legt Van Overdijk uit. Het continent dat de sport voortbracht lijkt het kind van de rekening.
Het zijn problemen die voor Bahrein niet spelen. De Grand Prix ligt tot 2036 vast, en een run op de kaartjes is niet eens gaande. “De race is volledig uitverkocht”, meldt de lokale The Daily Tribune op 1 maart, vier dagen voor de race. Uitverkocht betekent 30.000 plaatsen over het hele weekend, terwijl er in Zandvoort over drie dagen 300.000 voornamelijk Max Verstappen-fans over de vloer komen.
Het rechtvaardigt de vraag waarom de Golfstaat met anderhalf miljoen inwoners zo’n zekerheidje is op de Formule 1-kalender. Grotere landen met een goede reputatie, zoals Duitsland en Frankrijk, vielen er de afgelopen jaren af. En dat terwijl Bahrein niet de beste reputatie heeft. Mensenrechtenorganisaties als Human Rights Watch en Amnesty International beschuldigen het land van sportswashing, het oppoetsen en normaliseren van een bedenkelijke reputatie door grote sportevenementen binnen te halen.
Bahrain has different problems than Qatar
While the World Cup in Qatar was mainly about working conditions, there are also other problems in Bahrain. The royal family is Sunni, as is much of the country’s elite. The poorer majority are Shiite. This leads to struggles, such as the violently suppressed protests in 2011.
As a result, the Grand Prix was canceled even for a year. But in 2012, the royal class returned to a country with many political prisoners. These problems will still be present in 2023.
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali invariably states that it is better to go to countries with a bad human rights record. The premier class of motorsport could then bring about change.
“I am proud to be able to start the discussion about problems in countries like this,” Domenicali recently told The Guardian. “I understand that it is easy to criticize that, but I am not afraid of that. With a soft approach in the right context and in the right way, we can achieve something.”
Money is not a problem in Bahrain
Formula 1 apparently believes in this enough to commit to Bahrain until 2036. The Middle East is also well represented on the calendar with Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Formula 1 is eagerly accepting the hefty amounts in return.
And that is the driving force behind these constructions. “Money is not a problem here,” said circuit director Sheikh Salman Bin Isa Al Khalifa in the Bahrain paddock on Wednesday. One party has money in abundance and is willing to spend it. The other party wants to get as much of that money into the bank account as possible.
Formula 1 is a profitable operation, partly due to Bahrain’s money. Those proceeds also flow back to the sport’s shareholders, not least the teams.
Competition is an additional motivation for Bahrain to put millions on the table for a long-term Formula 1 contract. The neighboring countries now also have the royal class at home, so a longer contract is the megalomaniac variant of a game between the extremely wealthy states in the Gulf region.
Moreover, these countries fear that they will lose their main sources of income in the not too distant future. Oil and gas brought wealth. Soon, tourists who come to major events and bombastic buildings will have to take over.
Hamilton as crying in the desert
Because of the big money, the conversation about human rights fades into the background. Formula 1 still has a few outspoken personalities who dare to denounce abuses. Lewis Hamilton is the main voice.
The Briton has been coming to Bahrain since 2007, but in recent years he has learned more about the conditions in the country. “I understand better and better what challenges people face here. That also applies to Saudi Arabia. I think we always have a responsibility to draw attention to it and have an impact,” says the seven-time world champion on Thursday before the Grand Prix .
According to Hamilton, not everyone in the sport shares that view. “I’m talking about the teams and high-ranking people. More has to be done, no doubt. Time will tell if that happens.”
Especially since Sebastian Vettel’s retirement, Hamilton is almost literally a voice crying in the desert. Formula 1 is campaigning vigorously to reduce CO2 emissions to zero by 2030, but a similar ambition for human rights is lacking. Domenicali does not shy away from the subject, but rarely brings it up on his own.
‘I have something else on my mind now’
Other drivers are mainly concerned with their sport. Verstappen prefers to refer questions on this subject to the Formula 1 management, because he does not choose the destinations of the sport.
The youngsters are understandably not concerned with it at all. “These are of course important issues that need to be addressed, but I have something else on my mind now,” said McLaren debutant Oscar Piastri (21). “I don’t know everything about it either,” added Logan Sargeant (22).
In two weeks Formula 1 will race in Saudi Arabia, a country with an even worse reputation than Bahrain. Domenicali also announced on the first visit that staying away will not change anything at all. But it’s probably up to Hamilton again to really say something about it.
