Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has insisted that Bahrain will remain part of the sport's racing calender.

Last year the race was postponed due to political unrest in the country, while a large number of incidents took place during the race meeting last Sunday.

Despite widespread calls to take the sport away from the troubled kingdom, Ecclestone is adamant that the race has a future.

"Absolutely. Forever. No problem," he told Reuters. "I think it's good because people talk about things, you know. You know what they say - there is no such thing as bad publicity.

"It's growing all the time, and other places are interested. I think it will grow here for sure."

World champion Sebastian Vettel won the weekend's race.