So Formula One is not going to Bahrain after all. Amen to that. The idea put forward by the Bahrain ruling family that the grand prix would help foster better relations between the feuding muslim factions was always a nonsense. A bit like holding a football match to settle the civil war in Libya. Ok fellas when the whistle blows put down your guns and lets all be friends. I don't think so.

Sport has become a useful public relations tool used by countries to foster nation building and project positive global messages, Beijing Olympics, South Africa World Cup would be examples, but it requires a stable regime to pull that off. Bahrain with its internecine conflict between Sunnis and Shias is a world away from that.

F1 commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, with a little push from his old chum Max Mosley, spotted the weakness in the FIA's claim that all was well in Bahrain and convened a meeting with the teams to call off the race. A clause in the Concorde Agreement, the commercial contract agreed by the teams, requires any change in the race calendar to be rubber stamped by the competitors. It took Mosley to point this out, which was a huge embarrassment for his successor as FIA president, Jean Todt.

The episode shows where the power lies in Formula One. Nothing gets done unless Ecclestone says so. In the provisional calendar for 2012 Bahrain is given the prestigious opening slot next March, which ought to allow sufficient time for the civil toxins to flow into the sea. The violent outbreaks in Bahrain are part of a wider political experience in Muslim countries that has been labelled the Arab spring. It may be that the authorities in Bahrain cannot contain the unrest sufficiently to allow the race to go ahead next year either, which will get the sport off the hook since the FIA is insisting next year's calendar will not go ahead with the 21 races that are tabled. Todt says 20 is the maximum the FIA will sanction.

Meanwhile the next grand prix is upon us in Montreal, a personal favourite of mine. The Canadians get behind the event in a big way turning downtown Montreal into an F1 party for the duration. The circuit is packed from day one, just like Silverstone, and the atmosphere is electric. The street circuit with walls up close always throws up a cracking race so plenty of opportunity for Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button to get those McLarens in the face Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull. The same goes for Fernando Alonso in the improving Ferrari. Bring it on.