FIA: Spa Legal Action a Waste of Time

Formula One's governing body has welcomed the failure of legal action seeking to force it to reinstate the Belgian Grand Prix on this year's World Championship calendar.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said today that a court hearing in the town of Verviers had been a waste of time and money. The race was dropped after a vote by teams following Belgium's decision to introduce a ban on tobacco advertising from the middle of the year.

Representatives of local businesses had argued that the FIA, as a regulatory body, had been wrong to get involved in commercial matters.

"The FIA welcomes the dismissal by the Verviers court of a legal action seeking the reinstatement of the 2003 Belgian Grand Prix," an FIA statement said.

"This classic event was omitted with the greatest reluctance only because the teams would have been prevented by reasons beyond the control of the FIA from fulfilling their sponsorship contracts and, as a result, unanimously refused to compete.

"To bring legal proceedings against the FIA in this matter is a complete waste of everyone's time and money. The FIA can put an event on the calendar, but to do so with no promoter and no competing teams would be futile."

The statement pointed out that the last time an event had been listed on the calendar without a promoter's agreement with the competing teams was the 1981 Argentine Grand Prix.

"It did not take place. It had to be cancelled by the promoter himself," the statement added.