Bahraini marshals top pick for F1 races: BMF GM

TDT | Manama                                                          

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s ongoing success in hosting and organising Formula 1 races is a demonstration of its capabilities and has helped the Kingdom gain international acclaim at the highest levels of motorsport.

This has been highlighted by FIA Volunteers and Officials Commission (VOC) president and Bahrain Motor Federation general manager Abdulaziz Al Thawadi, who is also the chief of the Kingdom’s Motorsport Marshals Club (MMC).

Al Thawadi said that the support of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, have driven the significant development of the sports scene in Bahrain and its achievements on the ground.

Al Thawadi noted that the MMC was founded in 2004, when Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) organised the first F1 race in the Middle East. It has since helped organise and run many local and international races, in which they apply the highest international safety standards.

“With over 900 members, the club is considered one of the biggest in Bahrain,” Abdulaziz said. “The members perform a wide range of tasks and roles, along with organising various events. “The marshals supervised and contributed to the first F1 race held in India in 2011, with 150 members from different teams participating in organising the race, which won the award for best race of the year.”

Bahraini marshals also organised the first F1 grand prix in Baku, Azerbaijan, where approximately 250 club members took part; while also actively participating in organising the maiden F1 race in Abu Dhabi in 2009. The Kingdom’s marshals were tasked to play their roles at the first F1 race in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 2021, which involved the participation of 436 members.

The Saudi event was preceded by the marshals’ contributions to the Formula E World Championship race in Al Diriyah, Al Thawadi added. He expressed his pride in the participation of Bahraini women in organising these races and becoming a part of the success of the Bahraini marshals brand, which has earned international recognition and the trust of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), motor racing’s global governing body.

Bahrain’s marshals are today a top pick for supervising, organising and managing races for any country applying to host an international motorsports event, Al Thawadi stressed.