Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East”, extends its sincerest congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, on the occasion of the Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF) team being awarded the prestigious FIA President Special Award.
The honour was announced during the International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) annual FIA Prize Giving Ceremony, which took place virtually in the presence of FIA President Jean Todt.
The special award was in recognition of the BMF team’s prompt response to the dramatic crash involving Romain Grosjean during the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2020 on November 29th.
BIC Chief Executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa said that the award contributes to the sense of joy across the Kingdom as it celebrates Bahrain’s National Day and His Majesty the King’s accession to the throne.
Shaikh Salman also highlighted that this global achievement reflects the support received by the Kingdom’s motorsport family from His Majesty the King and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
Shaikh Salman added:
“On behalf of the Board of directors and team at BIC, I congratulate Shaikh Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa, President of the BMF, on receiving this hugely prestigious award.
“We take great pride in Bahraini marshals being recognised in this way, too often the unsung heroes of our sport.
“This prestigious award is testament to all the hard work and preparation our marshals undertake throughout the year, both for our annual Grand Prix and other track activities.
“This is a proud moment for Bahrain’s motorsport family. Our sincerest congratulations go out to the BMF, the Motorsport Marshals Club, and all those involved in the running of our motor racing events, you are rightly being honoured with this special accolade.”
On behalf of the BMF team, BMF General Manager Abdulaziz Al Thawadi accepted the award during the virtual ceremony alongside the Bahraini marshals being honoured, including Abdulla Qamber, Mehab Medhat Fawzi, Osama Mohamed Alsherooqi, Ahmed Abdulla Mohammed, Dr Yasir Yar Muhammad, Ahmed Saeed, Arif Turkey, Joby Mathew and Thaer Ali Taher.
Also presented with the FIA President Special Award were FIA Medical Rescue Coordinator Dr Ian Roberts and FIA Formula 1 Medical Car Driver Alan van der Merwe., each receiving a medal.
Al Thawadi spoke during the virtual ceremony, which was also attended by Grosjean. Al Thawadi said:
“It is a very proud moment for us here in Bahrain, especially for the marshals and those responding to the incident.
“It was a dramatic moment for everyone involved but our well-trained team made a success of their response.
“We all felt relief to see Grosjean recovered by the fire marshals within 32 seconds of the incident and the FIA doctors on hand.
“We are proud of our team and proud of our safety coordination and response, led by FIA President Jean Todt. It is a proud moment for every marshal here. We thank the FIA President for this prestigious award recognizing every single marshal in Bahrain.”
The FIA ceremony is one of the year’s most anticipated events with every branch of motorsport honoured.