10/02/2006
NEWS STORY
Just 48-hours after announcing that the Belgian Grand Prix has been dropped from the 2006 calendar, it has been revealed that a new 5-year deal has been agreed - from 2007 - which will see Bernie Ecclestone promoting the event.
According to Belgian broadcaster RTBF, the (regional) Wallonian government has agreed a deal with Ecclestone which will see the authority contribute £5.7m a year - £4m in direct aid, and the remainder in the form of 'sponsorship'.
However, the region's economics minister, Jean-Claude Marcourt, was at pains to emphasise that the 5-year deal with Ecclestone is not yet 100 percent official.
The event's absence from the calendar this year, will give the government the time - and the impetus - to carry out the redevelopments that Ecclestone has demanded.