Bahrain Grand Prix can't go ahead, admits Bernie

Bernie Ecclestone said today the Bahrain Grand Prix will not be held this season after Formula One's teams objected to the race being reinstated to the calendar.

The FIA announced on Friday that the event, postponed in March following widespread unrest in Bahrain, would be on October 30, replacing the Indian Grand Prix which would move to December 11.

The decision was made by the World Motor Sport Council following a unanimous vote at their meeting in Barcelona.

However yesterday FOTA, who represent 11 of the sport's 12 teams, called for the Bahrain race to be scrapped saying that extending the season into December was not practical. Formula One supremo Ecclestone said today FOTA's stance meant the end for the race this year as it could only be rearranged with the full backing of the teams.

He said: "Hopefully there'll be peace and quiet and we can return in the future, but of course it's not on. The schedule cannot be rearranged without the agreement of the participants - they're the facts."

Last week's decision followed a report by FIA vice-president Carlos Gracia in which he insisted the country was safe for a Grand Prix.

The Spaniard also denied the FIA were ignoring the protests of human rights campaigners outraged by the rescheduling of a race after anti-government protesters prompted a violent crackdown. However, global campaigning organisation Avaaz today slammed that report as like "stepping into the Twilight Zone".

Ricken Patel, executive director at Avaaz whose organisation has so far gathered nearly half a million signatures calling for the race to be called off, said: "While the FIA's sham report says no human rights have been violated, at least 31 Bahrain citizens have been killed and hundreds more tortured and imprisoned.

"Formula One based their decision to race on this dangerously irresponsible report."

However, Gracia insisted: "I can only speak about what I saw and that was complete quietness. I have spoken to human rights groups and they told me human rights have not been violated."