Belgium Postpones Tobacco Ad Ban in GP Bid

Belgium has postponed a ban on tobacco advertising in an effort to win back its place on the Formula One circuit.

Its lower house passed a bill late on Wednesday to push back the date of the ban from next month to July 31, 2005, when a European Union ban comes into force. The house voted 103 in favour, 32 against, with two abstentions to amend the law to impose the ban, a house spokeswoman said on Thursday.

Belgium has been struggling to get its Spa-Francorchamps race track back on the Grand Prix circuit after it was left out this year due to the law.

Three of the top four teams in Formula One - Ferrari, McLaren and Renault - are sponsored by tobacco companies and a vote not to go to Spa this year was taken by the teams.

Last week, a Belgian politician campaigning on behalf of the race track said he had been assured by Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone that he would do what he could to reinstate it next year.

The track is a favourite of Ferrari's World Champion Michael Schumacher, who made his debut at Spa in 1991 and took his first win there in 1992. Next season will see the arrival of new circuits in Bahrain and China while Austria has been dropped.

The return of Spa would probably force another European race off the calendar.