Bahrain call-off was right, says Virgin boss

The plug was pulled on the Sakir opener because of the political unrest in the Gulf kingdom.

It was scheduled for March 13 but officials felt there was no alternative than to withdraw the race—which will mean losses of up to £40 million.

Virgin will now reschedule their build-up for the first race in Melbourne on March 25-27.

Said Booth: ““The Bahrain Grand Prix is an important event on the F1 calendar and as the scene of our team’s racing debut a little under 12 months ago, we have extremely fond memories.

“We were looking forward to returning for this year’s season opening race. However, it is with great sadness that we have watched events unfolding there over the past week and it is quite clear that there are far bigger matters at stake than whether a major sporting event can take place."