Teams will follow FIA, FOM on Bahrain

The 2011 season opener, scheduled to be held on March 13, is in doubt because of unrest in Bahrain - which forced this weekend's GP2 Asia race to be canned. Horner, speaking on behalf of the Formula 1 Teams' Association (FOTA) after a meeting held after today's testing in Barcelona, insists that it's not down to the teams to make the call.

"It's obviously a really difficult situation in Bahrain, but we have complete trust in Bernie, FOM and the FIA to make the right decision," Horner said. "They will only send us there if it is safe.

"It would be a great shame to lose the race, but it's not the teams' decision - it's down to the promoter. Bernie and the FIA will have much more information than us and we will trust their decisions."

During the meeting, teams also discussed the upcoming pre-season test in Bahrain, due to start on March 3. Alternative venues were considered, but the decision whether to run there or not will depend on the status of the grand prix. Should the race be cancelled, FOTA would switch to a different venue.

"One is linked to the other; they are only a week apart," said Horner. "It wouldn't make sense to go and test there if the race wasn't to happen. We will wait for feedback from FOM and the FIA and make a decision accordingly. We are looking at some alternatives because we don't know whether we can go to Bahrain."

Horner added that he expects a final decision "at some point during the next week."