Hopes are fading of Belgium staging a Formula One grand prix next season after a court refused to rule on whether a law banning tobacco advertising was unconstitutional.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) will decide today whether to include the Belgian Grand Prix in their 1998 race calendar.

China's newly-completed racetrack in the southern city of Zhuhai and South Africa's Kyalami circuit are standby venues.

However, the FIA may yet postpone a decision as they are hoping for an amendment to the Belgian law brought in last month which bans tobacco advertising from 1999.