Spa's operating license revoked by Belgian court
23/09/09 15:57
F1-Live.com
Complications arise for Spa
Belgium has joined Canada and Germany in the uncertainty about their spots on the 2010 Formula One calendar.
Canada is yet to agree a contract with Formula One Management, and the Hockenheim circuit in Germany is still negotiating after saying it was no longer willing to absorb annual million-euro losses.
Belgium also has a spot on next year's race schedule, but it emerged on Wednesday that the famous and popular Spa-Francorchamps circuit has had its operating license revoked by a local administrative court.
The license has been rescinded until 2026, upon request by a board of local residents complaining about noise, according to the Belgian newspaper Le Soir.
It is believed that the Spa operators were ordered to submit an environmental impact study, which has been denounced by the court as "seriously inadequate and incomplete."
"The whole viability of the circuit may be questioned," circuit director Pierre-Alain Thibaut, who vowed to contest the decision, said.
Meanwhile, a meeting in Bernie Ecclestone's London office on Tuesday seems to have moved Canada closer to returning to the Formula One calendar next year although some matters remain to be settled.
The Montreal race has been allocated a provisional date on the 2010 schedule, but F1 chief executive Ecclestone said after the meeting that all the documents still have not been "signed properly."
"The issues that we had were minor, but I think we've managed get around them," he is quoted as saying by CBC.ca.
The Briton met with Michael Fortier, representing the Canadian levels of government central to the return of the event to be held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
"Negotiations continue," Fortier said. The former Canadian Minister of International Trade indicated however that the details to be ironed out do not involve monetary issues.
D.B. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM
23/09/09 15:57
F1-Live.com
Complications arise for Spa
Belgium has joined Canada and Germany in the uncertainty about their spots on the 2010 Formula One calendar.
Canada is yet to agree a contract with Formula One Management, and the Hockenheim circuit in Germany is still negotiating after saying it was no longer willing to absorb annual million-euro losses.
Belgium also has a spot on next year's race schedule, but it emerged on Wednesday that the famous and popular Spa-Francorchamps circuit has had its operating license revoked by a local administrative court.
The license has been rescinded until 2026, upon request by a board of local residents complaining about noise, according to the Belgian newspaper Le Soir.
It is believed that the Spa operators were ordered to submit an environmental impact study, which has been denounced by the court as "seriously inadequate and incomplete."
"The whole viability of the circuit may be questioned," circuit director Pierre-Alain Thibaut, who vowed to contest the decision, said.
Meanwhile, a meeting in Bernie Ecclestone's London office on Tuesday seems to have moved Canada closer to returning to the Formula One calendar next year although some matters remain to be settled.
The Montreal race has been allocated a provisional date on the 2010 schedule, but F1 chief executive Ecclestone said after the meeting that all the documents still have not been "signed properly."
"The issues that we had were minor, but I think we've managed get around them," he is quoted as saying by CBC.ca.
The Briton met with Michael Fortier, representing the Canadian levels of government central to the return of the event to be held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
"Negotiations continue," Fortier said. The former Canadian Minister of International Trade indicated however that the details to be ironed out do not involve monetary issues.
D.B. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM