Asian Motor Sports

Australians, like Williams’ Mark Webber or Sam Michael, have officially been told to stay away from the scene of the 2006 Formula Oneseason opener, in Bahrain.

The renewed warning of the country’s federal ‘Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’, mirroring a similar American alert, said there is a ‘high threat of terrorist attack’ in the small Arab island nation.

”We continue to receive reports that terrorists are planning attacks against Western interests in the region,” read the DFAT alert.

It continued, singling out ‘outdoor recreation events’ as possible targets: ”These attacks could occur at any time and could be directed against any locations known to be frequented by foreigners.” ‘Deutsche Presse-Agentur’, however, quoted a Bahraini official as downplaying the warnings, noting that the alerts are not new and are based on assessments of the entire Middle East region.