Bahrain protesters plan to target the Formula One Grand Prix on March 11 with fresh riots in a bid to draw attention to their cause, Arabian Business has learned.

The Grand Prix, which marks the launch of the 2011 season, is the highest profile event on the Bahrain calendar attracting some 527 million television viewers globally.

“For sure F1 is not going to be peaceful this time,” Nabeel Rajab, vice president of Bahrain Center for Human Rights, told Arabian Business.

“They’ll be lots of journalists, a lot of people looking and [the government] will react in a stupid manner as they did today and yesterday. And that will be bloody but will be more publicised.”

Riot police were deployed on Monday to break up protests held across Bahrain as demonstrators, inspired by revolts in Egypt and Tunisia, demanded greater political freedom and jobs.

Two people have reportedly been killed following Monday’s anti-government ‘Day of Rage’ with protests continuing into a second day.

“This will not stop, especially now when people [have] died. I don’t think it’s going to stop easily,” said Rajab.

The Arab world has been shaken by a series of anti-government demonstrations that have so far forced Tunisian President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak to resign. Protestors inspired by the events in Tunisia and Egypt, are now taking to the streets in Algeria, Jordan and Yemen, as well as Bahrain.

On February 3 Bahrain’s ruler, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, ordered an increase in food subsidiaries and social welfare payments in a bid to ease the burden of rising food prices. He has also ordered a payment 1,000 dinars ($2,653) to each Bahraini family.

But the violent reaction by Bahrain security forces to yesterday’s protests is likely to anger protestors, who had planned peaceful demonstrations.

“The people of Bahrain have not come out to call for a change of regime or the ruling family, but we might see when coming to say that tomorrow,” said Rajab.

“Yesterday [protestors] were calling for equality, fairness, to fight corruption, discrimination, fight torture in jail; all of the human rights issues. But now if you are killing people you leave no line between you as a ruling family. That will push people maybe to go and ask for a change of government.”

On Sunday, Theodore Karasik, from the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis in Dubai, told Arabian Business that Bahrain was the most likely Gulf state to be affected by the wave of anti-government sentiment spreading across the Arab world.

“If there is any state in the GCC that is susceptible to this it is Bahrain,” he said.