F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and FIA President Jean Todt have cast fresh doubts over whether the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix will actually go ahead.
The 2011 season-opening Bahrain GP was originally scheduled for March, but it was postponed due to political unrest in the Gulf Kingdom. Despite continued protests in the country, the World Motor Sport Council on Friday confirmed its members voted in favour of rescheduling the race for October 30.
However, F1 commercial rights holder Ecclestone has called for a rethink following complaints from human rights groups, politicians and teams alike.
According to the Daily Telegraph, 'the 80 year-old has had a change of heart and written to Formula One's 12 teams urging them to express their discontent and demand a re-vote'.
"The way things are at the moment, we have no idea what is going to happen," Ecclestone told the English newspaper. "Better that we move Bahrain to the end of the season and, if things are safe and well, then that is fine, we can go.
"If they are not, then we don't go and there are no problems. We listened to that report from the FIA and that was saying there were no problems at all in Bahrain. But that is not what I am hearing and I think we can see that we need to be careful.
"The money makes no difference. It is there because the Bahrain people asked us to keep it. If there is no race, we will return it, but money is not the issue here. It is whether it is safe and good to have a race that is the issue. We can change this Oct 30 date by having a vote by fax if necessary. It can be done, and fast."
A statement from the FIA on Friday insisted the decision was based on "a fact-finding mission" which reflected "the spirit of reconciliation in Bahrain".
Reports, though, suggest that mission took place before the emergency rule was lifted on June 1, arguably giving a false picture of the scene in Bahrain.
Todt admits that further violence in the country may yet force the FIA to change its decision.
"If we have clear evidence that there is a risky situation this will obviously be taken into consideration," he said in an interview with the BBC.
He added that evidence provided by his vice-president Carlos Gracia led to a unanimous vote at the WMSC.
"Our special envoy had many meetings in Bahrain, even with the human rights people responsible," he said.
"He found a stable situation, a quiet one, and we unanimously agreed.
"Carlos' report was discussed by the World Council and the decision was taken to accept to re-programme the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2011.
"We got a request from the opposition to the government to run the event and Carlos met with many people, including those working on the circuit, those in all the suburbs of the capital, and the report came back after that.
"The messages coming out are about peace, about restoring a good situation in this part of the world.
"Lots of other authorities have been encouraging things to go back to normal. My thinking is that, as a sporting body, we must support that."
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