• Bahrain Grand Prix
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Bahrain GP cannot go ahead - Ecclestone

ESPNF1 Staff
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Bernie Ecclestone: "Hopefully there'll be peace and quiet and we can return in the future, but of course it's not on" © Getty Images
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Bernie Ecclestone has admitted that he thinks the Bahrain Grand Prix will not take place in October, despite the FIA's decision for it to go ahead at Friday's World Motor Sport Council meeting.

In a BBC Sport interview Ecclestone 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 rescheduled without the agreement of the participants - they're the facts."

The revelation comes after the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) wrote a letter to the FIA, Formula One Management and the Bahrain Grand Prix organisers, believed to contain an objection to the race taking the place of the Indian Grand Prix on October 30. Max Mosley told the BBC on Tuesday that Article 66 of the FIA's International Sporting Code meant that any change to the calendar requires the written agreement of the teams, and it appears as though that has not been granted.

Ecclestone's comments are a major blow for both the Bahrain Grand Prix organisers and FIA president Jean Todt, who on Monday defended the FIA's decision to reinstate the race. Whether the Bahrain Grand Prix can be postponed to an even later date remains to be seen, but Ecclestone's comments suggest it is unlikely.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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