By Jamie Makin (12/2/2004)
February 12 2004

The current round of anti-tobacco legistation has started a rush to move F1 races and teams out of Europe to attractive destinations in Asia and the Middle East. The chances of Europe maintaining its current races looks slim with the possibility of gaining new races even slimmer. But now a new hope for Europe sprung up when Switzerland lifted it's 49 year ban on motor racing. Today the Swiss Traffic Commission voted 14-8 in favor of abolishing the ban instated in 1955. The law was orginally passed as a measure to protect the public safety after a Mercedes-Benz race car killed 80 spectators in Le-Mans, France. In the half-century that has passed since the accident, the sport has made huge strides in safety both for the drivers and the spectators causing the government to re-evaluate their position.

Switzerland is an attractive location for an F1 race because it is not a part of the European Union and would therefore not be affected by the upcoming ban on tobacco advertising. The challenge would be in securing a location and building a new circuit, as the country does not currently have any suitable tracks. The most noteworthy Swiss circuit is Lignieres, which is only a mile long and not accomodating to modern day F1 race cars.

If Switzerland were to gain a race, it would be a huge boost for the Hinwil based Sauber-Petronas team, who are the only Formula One team to call Switzerland home. Sauber have adopted the two German races and the Malaysian GP their "home" races but a true "home" race in their own country could open up a lot of new sponsorship and PR possibilities.

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