The wife of jailed Bahraini activist who is on a hunger strike has accused Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone of ignoring her husband’s plight

The wife of jailed Bahraini activist who is on a hunger strike has accused Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone of ignoring her husband's plight ahead of Sunday's controversial grand prix in the troubled country.

Pausing occasionally to wipe away tears and gather composure, Khadija al-Mousawi told Reuters in an interview in her apartment outside Manama on Wednesday that she supported Bahrain having the race. However, she said the 81-year-old F1 boss had missed a chance to do something to help the pro-democracy movement and her husband Abdulhadi al-Khawaja.

Al-Khawaja, who also has Danish citizenship, was jailed for his role in leading the protests against the brutal regime of Al-Khalifa.

He has been on hunger strike for two months and is in hospital being fed intravenously while there are almost daily clashes between police firing tear gas and protesters.

"What makes me angry is people like Ecclestone who decides to come to Bahrain because he thinks everyone is happy," said al-Mousawi. "I can assure you that I am not happy. My family is not happy."

Ecclestone told reporters in China last week, when the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) confirmed the race was on, that all the teams were happy to go to the Gulf kingdom.

"There's nothing happening," he added. "I know people who live there and it's all very quiet and peaceful."