Renault team principal Eric Boullier believes the saga surrounding the troubled Bahrain Grand Prix has been damaging for Formula One.

Organisers have now accepted the race will not now be going ahead but the past week has resulted in the sport being ridiculed, initially for opting to reinstate Bahrain on the calendar this year, and then for the battle that has followed between the FIA, commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone and the teams.

In a letter from FIA president Jean Todt to the Formula One Teams' Association in response to their missive calling for the calendar to be restored, the Frenchman has criticised Ecclestone.

Todt claims it was Ecclestone's responsibility "to perform all necessary due diligence in order to secure his calendar proposal to the World Motor Sport Council".

In other words, Ecclestone should have outlined concerns the teams had prior to last Friday's meeting in Barcelona and the changes subsequently made.

Assessing the overall situation, and asked if what has unfolded had harmed the sport, Boullier said: "Obviously, yes.

"I am a young, inexperienced team principal, but I am pushing hard to do my best to help build F1 for the future.

"But obviously it is never good when you expect such reactions (as has been the case this week) when they happen.

"F1 is a non-political sport. We cannot do whatever we want because there are issues like this and we need to be a bit more cautious."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, meanwhile, also feels the events of the last few days have been badly managed.

"It's unfortunate the issues that are currently going on there," said Horner.

"Nobody foresaw the problems that have happened, but sometimes these things do happen."

The issue is set to come up again. with Bahrain pencilled in to host the opening race of the 2012 season following the release of that calendar.

As far as Boullier is concerned, it is "a question of when and not if" F1 returns to the Gulf kingdom.

"I have nothing against Bahrain," added Boullier.

"I am the first one to say we should go racing in Bahrain, and I am happy to be back as soon as everything is safe and the timing is good.

"These are my only considerations. There's a lot of media pressure, and you can also see on the internet and the forums there is a very strong reaction."

Asked whether March next year could be too soon, Boullier replied: "I don't know to be honest. I am not a magician.

"It is up to the political situation in Bahrain to become clear."