After Sahara Force India was excluded from the international feed of the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, speculation was rife that the team was punished because of its refusal to participate in the qualifying race for the event. The team chose not to participate in the FP2 session of the qualifying race because of safety concerns. Television feed for the event is controlled by F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management.
Talking about this apparent exclusion, Ecclestone stated that cars that are not likely to achieve pole position do not attract viewers. However, a source in the Force India team stated “Everyone knows what happened. Bernie is giving Force India a slap on the wrist for missing Friday’s second practice session.”
Ecclestone also commented, “I suspect it (the blackout) was more to do with the Bahrain laws on no alcohol advertising. They have a whisky company prominently on the car. They should have taken it off. The TV could not show that.” Notably, McLaren and Sauber, which also sport alcohol brands, chose not to use them on the cars for the Bahrain race, although Red Bull bore the Singha beer brand's sign and was recorded on television during the event. Moreover, the badge of whisky sponsor of Sahara Force India, Whyte and Mackay, could be spotted on the international television feed of the race on the morning practice session held on Friday, though the team chose not to race in the session held after that.
Sources in the media have informed that Sahara Force India's decision to use the label of the alcohol brand had gained approval much before the weekend race was held. However, the team tried to downplay the event and chose not to comment, though racer Paul di Resta reached the crucial Q3 segment of the race. Sahara Force India's deputy boss Bob Fernley did not say anything, even though he was in charge of the team in the absence of the chief Vijay Mallya.
