Bahrain Could Lead to Expanded F1 Calendar

The Formula One Championship could be expanded to 18 races in 2004 to accommodate Bahrain's arrival as the first Middle Eastern Grand Prix.

"I think there's a strong possibility of 18 races," British American Racing (BAR) team principal David Richards said at the Italian Grand Prix today. "The issue is getting value and if the teams are rewarded for going to the extra race, because it clearly costs a lot of money to go to extra events."

Formula One currently has 17 rounds and a lively debate is likely since some other team principals have said in the past that they would like to see fewer rather than more races.

Bahrain organisers announced in a statement at Monza yesterdat that the Arab kingdom had signed a long-term agreement with Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone to host a round of the Championship from 2004.

No further details were given but a state-of-the-art circuit has been designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, the man responsible for Malaysia's Sepang track and the new Hockenheim layout among others. The local media in Bahrain reported last year that a 5.2 km circuit, with a main grandstand to seat 16,000 spectators, would cost $79 million.

Bahrain was one of several contenders from the region, with Dubai and Egypt also eager to host races and Turkey, bridging east and west, also in the frame. Local officials in the Chinese city of Shanghai declared an agreement earlier this year to host a race from 2004 at a circuit also designed by Tilke.

New Venues

Malaysia was the last newcomer to the Formula One calendar in 1999 and there has been considerable speculation about which races might be dropped to allow the inclusion of new venues.

The Italian circuit of Imola, where former World Champion Ayrton Senna died in 1994, is considered among the most vulnerable while Belgium may also be at risk due to local anti-tobacco advertising legislation. With China's debut also imminent, at least one European race appears certain to face the axe.

Bahrain's debut opens up a new geographical region to the sport, whose only previous foray into the Arab world was in Morocco in 1958. Briton Stirling Moss won that race in Casablanca in a Vanwall.

"New continents is one exciting aspect but I think the other thing that we've got to think about is that it is becoming more and more apparent that exciting races happen on some of the newly designed tracks," said Richards.

"Tilke has obviously got a good reputation for that and to my mind Hockenheim, despite what the drivers say, was a great spectator track and I think that has to bode well for the future."

Richards said that the announcement of Bahrain, at a time of uncertainty and potential conflict in the region, was an indication of Formula One's residual strength.

"A commitment like that shows that, despite what everyone says, Formula One is still in demand, still strong and has a future," he said. "Bahrain is very central. Obviously Beirut historically was the Monte Carlo of the Middle East but that's a long time ago now.

"Bahrain is fast becoming one of the financial capitals of the Middle East and that region is clearly the focus of everyone's attentions for the wrong reasons at the moment."

Local conditions in Bahrain, with sweltering heat and sand, could also present teams with new problems.

"There are bound to be local conditions that we will have to contend with but that's what motor racing is about," said Richards. "You just adapt to local conditions. We have the leaves on the track here (at Monza) and are likely to have sand on the track in Bahrain."