Kingdom of Bahrain's hopes of staging a rescheduled Formula 1 Grand Prix later this season are all but over.
Following protests in Bahrain over the past weekend, and troops from Saudi Arabia having been called on to help restore order, the Kingdom's King on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for the next three months.
This takes the possible return to normalcy well beyond the FIA's May 1 deadline for a rescheduled 2011 race.
In a statement that was read out on Bahrain's main television channel, it was announced that the King had "authorised the commander of Bahrain's defence forces to take all necessary measures to protect the safety of the country and its citizens."
There now appears very little prospect for the race getting slotted in later this year.
Following protests in Bahrain over the past weekend, and troops from Saudi Arabia having been called on to help restore order, the Kingdom's King on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for the next three months.
This takes the possible return to normalcy well beyond the FIA's May 1 deadline for a rescheduled 2011 race.
In a statement that was read out on Bahrain's main television channel, it was announced that the King had "authorised the commander of Bahrain's defence forces to take all necessary measures to protect the safety of the country and its citizens."
There now appears very little prospect for the race getting slotted in later this year.