F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone trusts Bahrain Grand Prix will be safe

Amid ongoing speculation about the future of the event, with reports over the past few days suggesting that threats have been made against it, Ecclestone said on Saturday that he had faith the Bahrain organisers would cancel the race if there was proper danger.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Ecclestone appeared unconcerned about the possibility of a terrorist attack.

"That's a danger," Ecclestone said. "Nothing you can do about that. It could happen anytime, anywhere.

"There are always people threatening. I don't believe the [organisers] would take a risk if they thought there was a risk. Let's see."

Ecclestone believes protesters would actually be better off trying to delay the race than do anything violent.

"They [the protesters] don't need to resort to violence," he explained. "All they need to do is stand on the road on the way to the circuit, with placards, and they would get their message out there. Nobody's going to shoot them."

He added: "If I was the organiser, I would wait until 4pm or whenever the race starts, blocking the road, a few thousand of them, and then go home. And if they successfully delay the race then they would get more coverage than they could dream of."

A protest group called the Coalition of the Young of 14 Feb Revolution wrote to Ecclestone last month threatening to disrupt the Bahrain Grand Prix.

"We in the Coalition of the Youth of 14 Feb Revolution address you this letter to say clearly we do not accept the distortion of this popular sport for the sake of obliging a failing dictatorship," it wrote.

"We demand you reverse your decision and call off the F1 race in Bahrain, else wise we will have no choice but to do everything in our capacity to ensure the failure of the race rather than see it stained with blood and shame."