It doesn't seem likely that the Belgian ...

Published on 12 February 1998 by Verstappen Info Page

It doesn't seem likely that the Belgian Grand Prix will be staged this year after an appeal court upheld a law that will ban tobacco advertising and sponsorship from next year. Last month the FIA stated that the GP would be cancelled unless there would be made an exception for F1 Racing in the extremely strict new Belgian anti-tobacco law. Andre Maes, chairman of the organizing committee of the Belgian GP said that they will continue to fight though and would "try to convince FIA not to cancel the race".

Max Mosley, president of the FIA, said today that he was mystified by the attack on his organisation by anti-trust EC commissioner Karel van Miert. The EC has accused the FIA of not respecting European anti-trust legislation and has said so in a letter which had to be responded to by the FIA. Mosley said he had replied "to every question" posed by van Miert and that "All sports behave like this. If the Commission takes this position it will find itself in difficulty with all the sports." Van Miert adressed the Belgian Parliament today and said: "The FIA is a powerful body which does not hesitate to use all means possible to strengthen its position. The European Commission will resist these methods." He referred in particular to moves to circumvent the Belgian law forbidding tobacco advertising from January 1, 1999.