Bahrain's race of shame: Gulf state's Grand Prix spectacular goes ahead... despite burning tyres in the streets and a protester 'beaten to death by police'

Outside the Bahrain Grand Prix groups of masked protestors chanting anti-government slogans set piles of tyres ablaze and hurled Molotov cocktails into the air.

But it was business as usual inside the circuit at Sakhir as Sebastian Vettel held off Kimi Raikkonenannual to win the race.


It went ahead without any reported hiccups despite two days of mass protests that saw demonstrators demand the 'gaudy spectacle' so loved by the ruling family that crushed Arab Spring demonstrations last year, be cancelled.

The 'three days of rage' began on Friday when up to 7,000 people clashed with police and troops armed with tear gas and stun grenades who were guarding roads around the ‘locked down’ capital Manama.        Read Full