Bernie Ecclestone said Bahrain has been blocking Qatar from hosting a Formula One race. Source: Getty Images

Bahrain, which first hosted an F1 race in 2004, has to approve other races in the region following an agreement with Ecclestone. The country did agree to allow a second race in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi since 2009.

“When we went to Bahrain I made a deal with the people there,” Ecclestone said.

“They said to me that as they were going to be something new in the area, would I give them a guarantee I wouldn’t stage another race in the Gulf, and I said, ‘Yes’.”

Drivers vie for first place at the Sakhir Racetrack for the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix in 2008. Source: AFP

Ecclestone said it was a “handshake deal” with Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

While Bahrain approved Abu Dhabi’s place on the F1 calendar, Ecclestone said a similar deal has not yet been agreed to about Qatar.

“Now this other race has been proposed,” Ecclestone said, discussing Qatar. “So I put the people together and said ‘Can you sort this out between you?’ They haven’t managed to do it.”

Qatar has a facility in Losail that hosts MotoGP and World Superbikes, while the annual FIA gala was held in Doha last week.

Bahraini Crown Prince Sheik Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa made a deal with Bernie Ecclestone allowing them to block Qatar from hosting an F1 race. Source: AP