Bahrain GP Diary

Skysports.com's Mike Wise blogs from inside the Bahrain paddock on what is bound to be a tense and controversial weekend...

Thursday morning At last, I'm at the track. We've been in Bahrain since Monday morning but the intervening period has been spent, almost exclusively, at the hotel. It's located on a stretch of scrub land in the Juffair district of Manama, in amongst numerous other hotels - either completed or otherwise - and the sight of dogs and chickens scampering about is not, perhaps, one the chains seek to promote. The immediate view is not the most prepossessing - as if the current 'situation' does not already give us all the reason we need to stay put. Some have headed to nearby hotel bars or the local shopping mall. Neither appeals to me but there's only so much laundry one can do, isn't there? Telling my boss I might 'go for a wander into town' does not seem the best move in hindsight. As it transpired, though, there is an altogether better view - it just turns out I was looking in completely the wrong direction. What's more, the Al-Fateh Grand Mosque (apparently in possession of the World's largest fibreglass dome!) is literally down the road and it was there I headed when the stir craziness became just a little too much. In a sense, then, it's good to be actually out and about and doing something at last. And yet, naturally, there's also a feeling of unease. How could there not be? There was not one hint of trouble when we headed to the track today. Thinking about it, the security presence also seemed muted. But that doesn't mean it's not happening. Apparently, members of the Force India team got caught up in skirmishes heading back from the track last night, while television news channels show Molotov cocktails hurled on a daily basis. One of the planned protests is supposed to be taking place in the same district as our hotel later on today. Fingers crossed it passes peacefully. Friday
As it turned out, we didn't get back to the hotel until close on 9pm last night, by which time the protest planned for Juffair had fizzled out. A few seeming stragglers were stood close to the roadside as our bus passed but they showed no interest in the traffic whatsoever, while the police presence again appeared minimal. Of course, none of this is to suggest that there is no unrest here: I'm simply telling you what I've seen with my own eyes and newspaper and television news reports tell a different story. Apparently the trouble is, in the main, currently centred on villages outlying Manama - the sorts of places F1 people have no business in travelling, in other words. However, the protesters' promise of 'Three Days of Rage', with unrest spreading across the island, is supposed to take effect today and even though we arrived at the track first thing (just after 7am), a more concerted security effort (more personnel, bag checks entering the track, an armoured car positioned roadside on the way down) was immediately apparent. One of the questions asked of the drivers yesterday afternoon was whether they feel in a bubble here this weekend whilst events run their course nearby. Of course, there is an easy way out for them - 'I'm in the bubble at every race' - but looking around the Sakhir facility, with its kiddies play park, its refreshment areas kitted out with Arabic rugs and cushions, and a stage set for a rock concert, you do get that impression. The attempt to create an image of business as usual does seem particularly incongruous in the circumstances. But let's do our best to leave reality at the front gate for a few hours and get on with the matter in hand. Practice One starts in a little while and then I'm hoping to see the action close up this afternoon thanks to Marussia, who have invited me over to their garage to watch the session two. Looking forward to that!
Saturday
Day three in 'The Bubble' as I've started calling it. Yesterday turned out to be hectic - the combination, I suppose, of two 90-minute practice sessions plus more reaction to the ongoing situation here. The big story paddock-side concerned Force India's decision to miss the afternoon session and return to their digs before nightfall - a direct consequence of the unfortunate situation team personnel became involved in on Wednesday night. With hindsight, seeing Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg running on soft tyres in the morning - the only drivers to do so - plus the presence of Bernie Ecclestone in their pit suggested that something was happening. And yet there was barely time to mull over any hunch: Deputy Team Principal Bob Fernley confirmed the news within minutes. As a result, there was no time for lunch but who cares when you have the chance to watch the action up close? That opportunity was afforded me by Marussia in P2. Positioned at the back of their garage and tuned into the team's radio, it was a fascinating insight into, I suppose, the foundations of a grand prix weekend. I'm not going to pretend I understood all the communication that flew between Timo Glock, Charles Pic and their respective engineers but I was surprised that quite a bit of it made some kind of sense. Particularly impressive, I thought, was when Timo gave a description of his car's behaviour through a particular corner that stretched to the tiniest detail. What sort of ability must it require to push an F1 car to its limits and yet still have capacity left over to log so much information? It really does feel as though we're in the eye of a storm here at the moment. Security seems to have moved up another level today, shielding us - as much as possible - from events taking place elsewhere. And so I concentrate instead on events happening here. Right now, what's grabbed my attention is the giant dust cloud which has descended on the island overnight. My guess is that it's not going anywhere soon, so it looks as though today's action will, at best, take place in hazy, murky conditions.
Sunday
Another day, another detour. Two, in fact: both heading back to the hotel last night and the return journey this morning. More layers of security have been added. Besides the police cars and armoured cars parked on the main road out to the track, besides the airport-style metal detectors and body searches (both at the hotel and the track) and besides the security staff who plot our route, we had this morning a sniffer dog hopping on board our bus, the underside of which was also checked for, I presume, explosive devices. Something that hadn't really registered until this morning is the sheer number of Bahraini flags that line the route. They're everywhere - and I don't just mean those crossed with a chequered flag that beckon us towards Sakhir (itself festooned in red and white). There's a huge one planted out in the desert and there are small ones sprouting roadside. Most interestingly of all, though, are the large numbers draped on houses by the main road. Were there really that many flying yesterday? Lucky escape: the scrum that inevitably surrounds Bernie Ecclestone this weekend sort of turned on itself a little while earlier when he appeared in the media centre to press the flesh. As someone who most certainly does not relish the spotlight, let me tell you it was a blessed relief that he didn't head my way. Actually, for a split second I thought he was heading right towards me. Fortunately, though, the regal procession kept moving in the direction of journalists from the British dailies sat nearby. I didn't cock an ear but their conversation seemed polite and friendly enough. Race time soon, then, and fingers crossed it passes without disruption. It's been an ultra-competitive season so far but yesterday's post-qualifying press conference was of a distinctly 2011 vintage. But will Sebastian Vettel be able to produce a 2011 vintage race? We'll find out soon enough... Mike will be updating throughout the weekend from Bahrain and will be part of the Sky Sports online team providing live interactive commentary of each session of the Bahrain GP How To Follow The Bahrain GP With Sky Sports Online