In Bahrain, however, a political and religious storm is raging. The ruling family is Sunni Muslim and the majority of the kingdom’s population is Shiite. The protests that began in February 2011 have included Shiite claims of discrimination in the country, where Shiites say the best jobs and government posts go only to Sunnis.

“The regime was isolated because of the crimes it committed and the Bahrain Grand Prix is giving a way out for the government, especially the royal family,” said Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. “We need this regime to be punished for the crimes it has committed in the past year and half.”

But under the slogan “UniF1ed — One Nation in Celebration,” the local organizer of the race — the government — has sought to promote unity and defuse security concerns.

For the monarchy — and for Formula One — there are also overriding economic concerns. The Grand Prix is the kingdom’s biggest sports event, drawing a worldwide television audience of roughly 100 million in nearly 200 countries, bringing in half a billion dollars in revenue and attracting thousands of visitors. When the race was canceled last year, Bahrain still had to pay Formula One a $40 million “hosting fee.”

So with the world watching and big money at stake, the government has hoped to use the race to demonstrate that life has returned to normal in Bahrain. But the media spotlight on the race in recent weeks has to some extent resulted in the opposite: a closer look at the political situation and the protesters and their claims of human rights abuses.

Jasim Husain, the former leader of the Bahrain opposition group Wefaq, said on a visit to the Formula One paddock on Thursday that for the protesters, the race “is an opportunity to raise awareness.”