Bahrain: Bahrain riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades at anti-government activists on Thursday and members of the Force India race team were caught up in a petrol bomb incident as unrest simmered ahead of this weekend's Formula One Grand Prix.
Protesters seeking to oust Bahrain's monarchy have threatened "days of rage" to coincide with the race meeting, while organisers have ignored appeals to call off an event that was cancelled last year due to violent demonstrations during the Arab Spring.
The organisers' decision to go ahead with the highly lucrative race has put increased pressure on sponsors, whose critics say they are backing a glitzy sporting spectacle taking place against a background of political repression.
Bahrain has been in turmoil since a democracy movement erupted more than a year ago after uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Protests were initially crushed with the loss of dozens of lives but youths still clash with riot police and thousands take part in opposition rallies.
Western companies are opting not to entertain clients and partners at the race following calls for sponsors to boycott the event because of the political turmoil.
Shell, which sponsors the Ferrari team, will not be hosting any guests at the event, a source familiar with the company's plans said.
But with demonstrations taking place daily, two members of the British-based Force India team asked to go home after the petrol bomb scare.
The Bahrain race circuit said four members of the team travelling between the track and the capital, Manama, drove through "an isolated incident involving a handful of illegal protesters acting violently towards police".
"During this incident a Molotov cocktail landed in the vicinity of their vehicle," a statement said.
Force India, whose drivers are Germany's Nico Hulkenberg and Britain's Paul Di Resta, said they had not been a target of the violence and no one in the team was hurt.
Although only one petrol bomb was mentioned by a team spokesman, sources indicated there may have been several more that landed on the highway to Manama on Wednesday evening during clashes in a nearby village between anti-government protestors and police.
"It is obviously not right that sort of stuff happens," Hulkenberg said. "We are here to race. The F1 business is about entertainment and these sort of things should not really be happening to us."
A day before the Formula One cars appear on the track for practice sessions, there were signs of nervousness among race teams. The MRS team, entered in the supporting Porsche SuperCup series, withdrew its entry from the weekend season-opener, citing safety reasons, without travelling to Bahrain.
Red Bull's double world champion Sebastian Vettel played down the unrest. "I haven't seen anyone throwing bombs. I don't think it's that bad. I think it's a lot of hype."
"I think it's not a big problem and I think I'm happy once we start testing tomorrow because then we worry about the stuff that really matters - tyre temperatures, cars," added the 24-year-old German.
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