JANUARY 30, 2003

Now Bernie starts talking about 18 races...

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone likes to keep people guessing and so comments this week in Autosport magazine that there might be a possibility of Spa returning to the Formula 1 calendar should be taken with a considerable pinch of salt.

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone likes to keep people guessing and so comments this week in Autosport magazine that there might be a possibility of Spa returning to the Formula 1 calendar should be taken with a considerable pinch of salt. Both China and Bahrain are coming into the calendar next year and it is convenient that the Belgian and Austrian GPs have been booted out because of tobacco issues. Ecclestone said that he would like to see Spa back on the F1 calendar - which is not surprising as the Formula One group of companies actually runs the event - but in order to do that Ecclestone says that he will probably have to try to convince the teams to have 18 races. This they have always refused to do and so the revival of Spa should be seen as a most unlikely. The year 2005 will be even more difficult because it is then likely that there will be new Grands Prix in Turkey and in Russia and so more European races will have to go.

It is worth noting that the Formula 3000 event which is scheduled to take place at Spa will go ahead without the Formula 1 event being there.