Formula One teams will take extra security measures when they go to Bahrain next week, Red Bull principal Christian Horner said on Friday after the sport's governing body confirmed the race was on. "We take the security of all our employees very carefully and so inevitably as with other races sometimes extra precautions are taken," he told reporters at the Chinese Grand Prix.
"We'll do our best to ensure that all our guys and girls are in a secure environment." Daily street clashes in Bahrain and threats to target the race by anti-government protesters have heightened concerns in the travelling Formula One community ahead of the fourth race of the season. An explosion, apparently caused by a gas canister, damaged two cars in Manama on Thursday night while seven policemen were wounded by a home-made bomb outside the capital on Monday in what the Interior Ministry called an "act of terrorism".
Bahrain is also home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. Formula One teams are already used to having extra security at some races, notably in Brazil, where armed robbery away from the Sao Paulo race track is a concern. Last year's inaugural Indian race in new Delhi also saw special measures due to fears of terror attacks.
Horner said there had been no specific advice from the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA), who issued a statement earlier to say the race would go ahead as scheduled. "I think each team probably takes that into their own responsibility," he said. "There are other races that we go to that have risks associated with them and it's down to each team how you address that. So next weekend will be no different."
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