Koenigsegg is a new money supercar, sold to growing markets that are easy to view with suspicion. The cars are just cars, but you can't help but associate the hyper-exotic machines with money and politics.
In our discussion of Bahrain's PR machine, Baber K. Khan (The true expression of freedom is 4x4) gave us some more perspective on the Bahrain Grand Prix and how cars, culture, and of course money and politics relate to each other in the Middle East.
Great detailing on that. I know I said somewhere around here that if even Somalia had money, F1 races would be happening over there despite the shit.
But I'd like to add more to your story - that Bahrain is quite entangled in the mess and it is not for the love of the sport they seek to have it there but actually, F1 now bears political strategic importance for the government of Bahrain. And if the F1 race is to be not held there than it would count as a victory to the protestors and further intensify - the already predicament and delicate situation.
Saudi Arabia has isolated its Shia's minority in Qatif City, there has been minor protests over in that country this year with some bloodshed and deaths as well but given the money and power of the ruling elite combined with highly loyal forces, there cannot be much done except blood will shed on the streets with no justice.
The F1 now holds the key to whole situation in Bahrain and subsequently Saudia Arabia, where even though, the Shia population is in minority and isn't in anyway impoverished or discriminated as almost all the Saudis are the laziest and unwilling to learn sorta people. Youtube Burnout Qatif City, they don't even do Riyadh style drifting (Tafheet) out of some misplaced sense of prejudice.
So F1 never before has been the key influencing factor in toppling regimes over.
Photo Credit: Philipp Lücke