The FIA Motor Sport Council voted last week to reinstate Bahrain to the calendar after the race, originally slated to be the opening event of the season, was postponed due to civil unrest. The rescheduled Grand Prix was due to take place on October 30, with the Indian Grand Prix shifted to a season-ending December 11 slot.
However, earlier this week the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) wrote to the FIA and Ecclestone to state its opposition to the calendar being changed at such short notice. Without the backing of the teams, the Bahrain race cannot be added to the schedule, and the FIA's stance on the matter was revealed in an exchange of letters published on the organisation’s website.
In a published letter to the FOTA, Todt stated: “I have listened to your last-minute objections and have asked the commercial rights-holder (Ecclestone) to re-examine his calendar proposal, and if necessary, to resubmit a revised proposal to the World Council.”
Todt added: “The Formula One World Championship is regulated by the Concorde Agreement, the provisions of which supersede the provision of the International Sporting Code. Under the Concorde Agreement, the responsibility to set the calendar and submit it to the FIA for approval rests solely with the commercial rights-holder. Consequently, it is the responsibility of the commercial rights-holder to perform all necessary prior due diligence to secure his calendar proposal to the World Motor Sport Council.”
Todt also stated that he hoped a solution to the controversy could be reached “promptly”. The FIA is expected to confirm Bahrain has been dropped from the schedule over the weekend, with the Canadian Grand Prix taking place this coming Sunday.
