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F1 teams happy for Bahrain Grand Prix to go ahead

Formula 1 teams say they are happy for the Bahrain Grand Prix to go ahead, after receiving reassurances from Bernie Ecclestone in China on Friday

Representatives from all the teams met with Ecclestone in the break between first and second practice to discuss the Bahrain situation - as moves were made to clear up queries they had.

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said that the ending of speculation about the matter was welcome - with teams having been told by the FIA earlier in the day that the Bahrain GP was definitely on.

"I think it's clear," said Horner. "The confusing thing has been uncertainty, so I think for everybody here in the paddock now it's clear that there will be a race in Bahrain next week."

Williams director Toto Wolff, who attended the meeting for the Grove-based team, told AUTOSPORT: "We have to rely on competent people. The FIA issued a statement relying on people there, and competent people. They say it is safe; safe for teams, safe for F1, and that is why we go full steam ahead to Bahrain.

"I am happy to take the team to Bahrain. I have to balance out what information I get and, at the moment, it seems to be competent information. And you have to, at a certain stage, rely on that information. I would rather go for [information from] competent people being there, rather than Facebook."

Wolff said that the meeting had been positive, and that it was good to get some dialogue with Ecclestone about the situation there.

"The teams expressed I would not say concern, but they wanted to know whether everything we heard was right, and we have to rely on this."

Although Ecclestone insisted that there were no problems in Bahrain, Horner did say that his outfit would be taking extra safety precautions.

"I think we take the security of all our employees very carefully and, so inevitably, as with other races, sometimes extra precautions are taken," he said.

"We'll do our best to ensure that all our guys and girls are in a secure environment, and I don't doubt that for a moment. I think the statement from the FIA is clear and you are looking at thousands of people attending that race, not just Red Bull Racing."

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