Belgians seek EU help

FORMULA ONE/News round-up: A group of Belgian politicians and business owners are hoping European officials will help them get the Formula One race at Spa-Francorchamps reinstated this year after their cases against the FIA were thrown out of court last week.

The Belgian race was axed in October after tobacco-sponsored teams voted against it following Belgium's decision to outlaw tobacco sponsorship from this August.

The EU plans to ban tobacco advertising from mid-2005, while the FIA wants a globally-agreed ban from the end of 2006. The race had been scheduled for August 31st.

The groups who took the court cases are waiting for European competition authorities to decide on a complaint that the decision made by the FIA to cancel the race was influenced by the tobacco industry.

"The FIA must make decisions based on sports, not economics," said Luc Misson, the lawyer representing the group of three business owners and nine politicians.

Dropping the Belgian Grand Prix from the F1 calendar has caused an uproar in the town of Spa as its local economy used to benefit from the thousands of spectators who came to watch the race every year.

Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher has brushed off the criticism that has been levelled at him this season as he faced up to equalling his worst run of results in almost three years.

The five-time champion has already suffered his worst start to a season since he came into Formula One in 1991 and had to bear the brunt of some harsh comments after causing the first lap crash at the last race in Malaysia.

But if he misses out on a podium in Brazil on Sunday it will be the first time he has failed to finish in the top three in three successive races since 2000.

Then Schumacher had a July he will want to forget as he retired in France and went out after first lap shunts in Germany and Austria, though he still recovered to win Ferrari's first drivers' crown for 21 years.

But Schumacher, who launched his bid for a record sixth championship with fourth in Australia, insists he is not worried by the criticism.

"When you make mistakes, you cannot expect to be praised," said Schumacher. "The criticism is not hard to cope with, especially as I think there will be races on tracks which will suit us better and where we will have the upper hand."

BMW has dropped a hint that it would like Ralf Schumacher to stay on at Williams after his contract expires next year.

Mario Theissen, BMW's sporting director, said: "Essentially the team's continuity is a major factor."

His observation followed a denial by Schumacher's manager over a rumoured move by the driver to Toyota.