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• Webber only driver to speak out on controversial race
• Bahrain GP set to go ahead despite widespread opposition
A Formula One race is about to take place beneath the Shanghai International Circuit's elaborate architecture, but from the topic of conversation you would never know China was hosting a grand prix. As drivers began filtering into the paddock on Thursday morning, talk focused not on what might happen this Sunday but on the potential repercussions of holding a race in Bahrain seven days later.
Only one of those drivers was willing to grapple with the subject of whether the race should take place in a kingdom riven by civil unrest. When the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled and then temporarily reinstated before finally being dropped, Mark Webber stood as a lone voice of reason among the drivers. "F1 should have taken a much firmer stance earlier this year, rather than constantly delaying its decision in hope of being able to reschedule the race," he said. "It would have sent a very clear message about its position on something as fundamental as human rights."
The Red Bull driver was lucid on the issue again on Thursday, if a touch less forthright. "I've tried to watch the news to get a balanced view of the Bahrain situation," he said, "but I know only as much as anyone else, really. I want to race but you can't ignore what's going on and we all hope things go smoothly.
"It's a difficult decision, because it's only a week away, but ultimately it's only a car race. A hell of a lot of people in the world have no idea that Bahrain is scheduled to host a grand prix, so we don't want to overstate its importance. Things can be cancelled in a flash, but what's changed since January to make that decision any easier? There will be added security, but not everybody can have that and it doesn't make me feel comfortable."
It is no secret that Formula One attracts financial support from the Middle East – Mumtalakat, Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund, holds a significant stake in McLaren – and beyond Webber even the most articulate drivers seem obliged to temper their thoughts with commercial discretion. "I don't have an opinion," said Jenson Button, who won this season's opening race for McLaren. "I can't have one and you know that. I am not speaking as a person, am I? I am sitting here as a McLaren racing driver and trust Bernie [Ecclestone] and [governing body] the FIA will make the right call, whatever that is.
"The problem is, and I am sure everyone will say the same thing, if one team goes, every other team has to follow because there are 25 points available. That's the reality, isn't it? You can't give away one twentieth of the season. We are a circus. We go around together and do everything together. That is the way it should be, whether we race or not."
Despite months of doubt about the wisdom of staging a race in Bahrain, the sport's ringmaster, Ecclestone, has continued to insist the race will go ahead. "It is on the calendar," he said again on Thursday. "Unless it gets withdrawn by the country's national sporting authority, we will be there. I don't see any difference between China and Bahrain. They're the same. It's another race on the calendar. When we enter a country in the normal way, we don't deal with religion or politics. We will go there. If it was a pop singer, they would be there and they would sing."
Ecclestone is due to meet team principals on Friday and acknowledged that Bahrain would be discussed, but insisted it would not be top of the agenda. Jean Todt, the president of motorsport's governing body the FIA, is also expected in Shanghai, albeit not until Saturday.
Trouble was also brewing off the track this weekend. However, the four-man panel of FIA stewards has dismissed Lotus' protest against the eligibility of their rival Mercedes's rear wing, which they alleged breached Article 3.18 of Formula One's sporting regulations: "any car system, device or procedure that uses driver movement as a means of altering a car's aerodynamic characteristics is prohibited". When the Mercedes drivers activate their drag reduction system, which legitimately trims the rear wing to boost straight-line speed, Lotus believed the team's front wing also benefited and that this contravened the regulations. However, Lotus will not appeal against the FIA's decision.