'I tried to help Bahrain'

The race was called-off on Friday after Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) announced its withdrawal to stage the event in the wake of objections from the teams and its drivers.

The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council last Friday had re-instated the race to October (28-30) but removal of it now is most likely to make way for the staging of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix on the same dates. 

Ecclestone, while defending his earlier decision, said the teams had the right to object to the re-scheduling of the race that was cancelled in March due to anti-government protests.

“The truth of the matter is we put the calendar together and the teams race on the calendar,” he said. “We were trying to help Bahrain, who have been very helpful to Formula One, and hoping they could get themselves sorted out.

When asked whether he felt sorry for the fans in Bahrain, he said: “Yeah, I was hoping everything would be fine. I definitely tried to help Bahrain, that’s for sure.”
The Gulf nation, however, has been awarded the opening race of the 2012 season.