SEOUL — Formula One teams say they have no qualms about scheduling crucial pre-season tests in Bahrain next February after the Gulf kingdom's Grand Prix went ahead without incident this year. The 2011 race had to be cancelled, due to civil unrest. Teams have argued in their defense that Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone draws up the calendar and they are contractually obliged to race wherever he decides. However, they do have a choice when it comes to testing venues and there were ready-made alternatives to Bahrain in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, whose team is half-owned by Bahrain's Mumtalakat sovereign wealth fund, said attitudes had evolved since the height of the unrest. “I think people are relaxed about going there based on their experience of this year,” he told Reuters. Bahrain circuit authorities said last weekend, during the Korean Grand Prix, that the Sakhir track would host pre-season tests from Feb. 19-22 and Feb. 27-March 2 next year. Next year will be the 10th anniversary of the first race in Bahrain and organizers are planning a floodlit day-to-night event like the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This year's Grand Prix in April passed largely without incident, despite opposition rallies and regular skirmishes out of sight of most Formula One visitors. Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn said he was not aware of any contingency plan for the tests should unrest flare up again. “Obviously we hope things are progressing there as well as they can. Quite frankly, it's not been a major topic, it's not been discussed, so hopefully we can have a quiet time there,” he told reporters. “There have been assurances about the conditions there. It was part of the discussion that has gone on,” he added. Teams and engine makers say they need to test in the Middle East to guarantee the hot conditions they will not find in Europe at that time of year. With a radically new V6 turbocharged engine being introduced, the manufacturers cannot afford to lose any of the limited testing time available to the weather. “From the purely technical perspective, Bahrain is a more representative circuit,” Brawn added. “We can test there, we prefer to test there. It's the best, most suitable track at that time of the year.” Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said the decision had been led by the engine makers - Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari - and smaller teams like her Swiss-based outfit had to fall in line. “If the tests are mainly meant for the engine, to have the right conditions to test that engine, then you don't have a choice,” she said. Hamilton hails Vettel Lewis Hamilton hailed Formula One rival Sebastian Vettel as a great champion Tuesday, only days after suggesting the German's dominance was sending fans to sleep. The Mercedes driver told his 1.7 million followers on Twitter that he felt a need to clarify his thoughts about Red Bull's runaway championship leader and winner of the last four races. “Seb is great champion!!,” he declared on his feed (@LewisHamilton). “Not only that, he is a great human being who is funny and humble. Deserves all the success he is having. “I admire his dedication & ability to consistently perform without mistakes. This is the mark of a true champion,” added the Briton, who won the 2008 title with McLaren before Vettel had won the first of his three to date. Vettel, who does not use Twitter, has a 77-point lead over Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in the championship with five races remaining and can clinch his fourth successive title in Japan this weekend. — Agencies
