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Does F1 Really Have a Future at Spa?
Does F1 Really Have a Future at Spa?

The Drive

timea day ago

  • Automotive
  • The Drive

Does F1 Really Have a Future at Spa?

The latest car news, reviews, and features. When rumors began to circulate around a year ago about the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps leaving the Formula 1 calendar, locals, race organizers, and fans engulfing the grandstands in orange all had something to say about it. For many, the Belgian Grand Prix's 2025 contract expiration meant more than erasing one of the sport's European races from the schedule. To locals, it represents a hit to the small-town economy. Residents rent out their farm fields as parking lots, and the race generates 41.8 million euros ($48.7 million) for the region, making up 10 percent of a neighboring town's annual income. For race organizers, the expiration date looked threatening as races like Miami and Las Vegas popped up with bigger bottom lines and commercial success. 'I guess a lot of things are just about money nowadays, which is the issue. It's a business,' Lando Norris said in 2022 as South African Grand Prix negotiations threatened to axe Spa. For fans, Spa's uncertain future meant one of F1's most historic and iconic tracks could be removed from the calendar. Ultimately, F1 re-signed its contract with the Belgian Grand Prix until 2031 on the condition that it would rotate every other year starting in 2028. NurPhoto via Getty Images Last year, spectators flocked to the circuit anticipating that it could be their last chance to see F1 cars take on Eau Rouge in person. The 2024 race offered an unexpected winner and disqualification drama. But as the sport's 20 drivers faced a slick circuit under a safety car this year, there was much left to be desired. With a nearly hour-and-a-half rain delay to kick off Sunday, the race looked like it could hold seat-gripping promise when Oscar Piastri lunged alongside teammate and championship-title rival Norris to take the lead. However, besides a few wide corner slip-ups and a handful of clean overtakes, the Grand Prix was a dull affair. The finishing order looked a whole lot like the starting grid, just in a slightly different order, as Piastri took home the winner's trophy, followed by Norris and Charles Leclerc. Against expectation and public opinion, Saturday's sprint race held more drama, intrigue, and wheel-to-wheel racing than the main event. While there were opportunities for Sunday's race to keep viewers' attention—like Alex Albon dragging his Williams into sixth place, or Lewis Hamilton's recovery drive from 16th to seventh—F1's broadcast spent more time on the dominant drive in front. The sport's greatest narrative arc in 2025 is its midfield runners, and the story told to spectators on Sunday didn't capitalize on the fact that Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10 points-scoring finishers. McLaren's Oscar Piastri, the winner of Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, stands at center on the podium beside second-place finisher and teammate Lando Norris at left and third-place Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. Zhao Dingzhe/Xinhua via Getty Images In F1's current entertainment epidemic, Spa remains an enigma. It has all the ingredients for a fan-favorite race: high speeds, blind corners, history, and decently cheap entry and concession costs. But Sunday's race didn't reach that potential. In response to the 44-lap procession, fans on social media began to circulate Max Verstappen's radio message from the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix: 'This is boring, should have brought my pillow.' The sport's 2026 regulations bring the potential for more excitement. Smaller and lighter hybrid cars should increase speeds at one of the fastest tracks on the calendar. But the new regulations also come with unpredictability. The circuit's lack of braking means fewer opportunities for energy regeneration. And less bulky machines paired with lower downforce, higher speeds, and a track that never seems to fully dry mean the potential for danger is high. NurPhoto via Getty Images The 4.3-mile circuit already has a long and tragic history, and its safety faces near-constant skepticism: 'The two questions are, is Spa safe enough?' George Russell said last year. 'And then, it's a question of the conditions.' Over the years, F1 has increasingly prioritized safety in its decision-making at Spa, as it did with the call to delay Sunday's race start. Still, the venue's long list of fatalities and annual uncertainty is another tick working against its long-term future. So, where does Spa go from here? Maybe it is truly something better suited to the history books, or to this on-again, off-again format that leaves space for more modern race host locations. But there are still traditionalists who wax poetic about the Belgian Grand Prix as a timeless tribute to the sport and its heroes: 'It's one of the best tracks in the world,' as Hamilton put it last year. Maybe distance will make the heart grow fonder as the track's rotating format takes effect, and Spa will be more sweet than snooze-inducing next time around. Got a tip? Email tips@

Proximus SA (BGAOF) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Domestic Growth Amid Global Challenges
Proximus SA (BGAOF) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Domestic Growth Amid Global Challenges

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Proximus SA (BGAOF) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Domestic Growth Amid Global Challenges

Domestic Service Revenue Growth: 1.6% increase in Q2 2025. Domestic EBITDA Growth: 1.9% increase in Q2 2025. Global Segment EBITDA Decline: 5.4% decrease in Q2 2025. Group EBITDA: EUR491 million, a 1.2% increase in Q2 2025. CapEx for First Half 2025: EUR542 million. Free Cash Flow for First Half 2025: EUR266 million; organic free cash flow negative EUR5 million. Fiber Coverage: Over 45% of Belgian homes and businesses. 5G Coverage: Above 80% indoor coverage. Residential Convergent Customer Growth: Added 11,000 customers in Q2 2025. Mobile Postpaid Additions: 38,000 cards added in Q2 2025. Asset Disposal Program: Achieved EUR500 million target by 2027, raised ambition to EUR600 million. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 10 Warning Signs with BGAOF. Release Date: July 25, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points Proximus SA (BGAOF) reported strong financial performance in its Domestic segment, with both service revenue and EBITDA growing year over year. The company achieved over 80% 5G coverage and fiber coverage of more than 45% of Belgian homes and businesses. Proximus SA (BGAOF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Orange Belgium to expand fiber deployment in Wallonia, enhancing fiber coverage and efficiency. The company successfully completed the sale of Be-Mobile, achieving its original divestment plan target of EUR500 million by 2027 ahead of schedule, and increased its ambition to EUR600 million. Proximus SA (BGAOF) won a major contract with NATO, positioning Proximus NXT as a key player in digital transformation for defense. Negative Points The Global segment faced significant headwinds, particularly in the CPaaS market, leading to a downward revision of EBITDA expectations. Proximus SA (BGAOF) experienced accelerated challenges in the SMS CPaaS market, impacting revenue and prompting a shift in guidance. The company reported a decline in Global segment revenue by 18.8%, with a direct margin decrease of 10.8%. Operational integration challenges in the Global segment are impeding margin synergy delivery. The B2B unit saw a decline in total revenue by 4.4%, primarily due to a decrease in low-margin product revenues. Q & A Highlights Q: Can you provide more color on the sudden shift in the SMS market and whether this is a structural change? Also, how much of your business is currently reliant on SMS compared to other OTT services? A: We noticed a shift where major OTT players are moving engagement traffic to other channels, which accelerated in Q2. This has impacted our guidance. While the SMS market is significant, Proximus Global is well-positioned to transition to omnichannel services like RCS, WhatsApp, and email. We are confident in our product portfolio to manage this transition and have reflected these changes in our guidance for the year. Mark Reid, Finance Lead Q: With the new guidance implying a significant drop in Global's EBITDA, are the 2026 targets at risk, and is there a possibility of a goodwill write-down? A: Despite the challenges, we believe our 2026 ambitions remain achievable. We are taking swift actions to address integration challenges and accelerate the shift from SMS to RCS. A new Proximus Global CEO will soon be appointed to drive these efforts. We have not changed our position on the 2026 targets. Mark Reid, Finance Lead Q: Could you elaborate on the integration challenges faced by Proximus Global and whether you are still confident in achieving the EUR100 million synergy target? A: Integration challenges include management changes and delays in cross-sell synergies due to merging three organizations. We are confident these synergies are realizable and are refocusing efforts to capture them. We are also working on ramping up partnership deals. Mark Reid, Finance Lead Q: What is the rationale behind the decision to pursue off-balance sheet financing for the fiber build with Orange Belgium? A: We aim to keep the investment off-balance sheet to maintain financial flexibility. The Fiberklaar integration was a different case due to strategic motivations, including facilitating a deal with Liberty. In the South, we continue to pursue off-balance sheet financing for the fiber build. Mark Reid, Finance Lead Q: How can Proximus assure investors of the visibility and stability of the Global segment's outlook? A: We have confidence in our updated guidance, having accounted for the rapid changes in the SMS market. Our product portfolio is well-suited to capture growth in RCS and other channels. We are addressing integration challenges and ramping up partnerships to ensure stability and growth. Mark Reid, Finance Lead For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data

Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal
Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal

Al Arabiya

time4 days ago

  • Health
  • Al Arabiya

Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal

A water contamination scandal has gripped a leafy corner of southern Belgium, causing anxious residents to queue up for blood tests to confirm potential exposure to so-called forever chemicals. On an early summer afternoon about a dozen people waited to get their samples taken at a municipal building in Braine-le-Chateau, a picturesque town in the French-speaking Wallonia region. 'Initially local authorities told us that measurements were reassuring, but in reality, they didn't have any and were simply trying to keep people calm as best they could,' Douglas, a 35-year-old consultant who preferred only to give his first name, told AFP. 'This kind of game has to stop,' he said, adding he hoped the blood-sampling campaign launched in June would help shed light on the situation. Anger in the region first erupted in 2023 when an investigation by local broadcaster RTBF revealed the authorities had ignored longstanding warnings about high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called forever chemicals. It emerged that the US military, which has an airbase in the small city of Chievres, had warned the local water company in 2017 about high PFAS levels in drinking water, following an incident involving firefighting foam. The US base advised its personnel to drink bottled water -- but locals were left in the dark for years, even after the regional government was told of the issue in 2018. PFAS are a family of synthetic chemicals that take an extremely long time to break down. Chronic exposure to even low levels of the chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birth weights and several kinds of cancer. A group of more than 10,000 human-made chemicals that repel heat, water and oil, PFAS are used in nonstick pans, stain-proof carpets, and other products. But their use is increasingly being restricted across the world due to adverse health effects. In June an Italian court sentenced executives at a chemical plant to jail terms of up to 17 years for polluting water used by hundreds of thousands of people with the chemicals. 'Putting out fires' Water samples in Braine-le-Chateau last year revealed levels five to six times higher than a safety standard of 4 nanograms/liter (ng/L) for four PFAS recently agreed by Belgian authorities. The exact source of the pollution has not yet been confirmed and a judicial investigation is underway. Authorities have since ordered water distribution firms to install activated carbon filters -- a move they say has contained the issue. Large-scale blood testing was carried out in Chievres in early 2024 -- and later extended to nearby areas. Authorities said almost 1,300 people across about 10 municipalities had their blood samples taken to confirm exposure to the chemicals in recent weeks, as part of a fresh campaign launched in June. The results, which could lead to new health recommendations, are expected later this year. Wallonia's government, which took office last summer, has also decided to bring forward to 2025 new European Union rules requiring that drinking water must not exceed a total of 100 ng/L for 20 substances in the PFAS family. 'We have taken radical measures and all our distributors are now complying with this standard,' Yves Coppieters, the regional minister for health and the environment, told AFP. Nevertheless he acknowledged that 'the population is very concerned', adding that without clarity on the source of the pollution, it might take decades to resolve the issue. 'Telling people not to eat their home-grown eggs and vegetables, setting standards for sewage sludge... for now I'm just putting out fires,' said Coppieters, who favours a ban on all products containing PFAS. Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have submitted a joint proposal for the EU to ban the production, sale, and use of almost all forever chemicals.

Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal
Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal

France 24

time4 days ago

  • Health
  • France 24

Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal

On an early summer afternoon about a dozen people waited to get their samples taken at a municipal building in Braine-le-Chateau, a picturesque town in the French-speaking Wallonia region. "Initially local authorities told us that measurements were reassuring, but in reality, they didn't have any and were simply trying to keep people calm as best they could," Douglas, a 35-year-old consultant who preferred only to give his first name, told AFP. "This kind of game has to stop," he said, adding he hoped the blood-sampling campaign launched in June would help shed light on the situation. Anger in the region first erupted in 2023 when an investigation by local broadcaster RTBF revealed the authorities had ignored longstanding warnings about high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called forever chemicals. It emerged that the US military, which has an airbase in the small city of Chievres, had warned the local water company in 2017 about high PFAS levels in drinking water, following an incident involving firefighting foam. The US base advised its personnel to drink bottled water -- but locals were left in the dark for years, even after the regional government was told of the issue in 2018. PFAS are a family of synthetic chemicals that take an extremely long time to break down. Chronic exposure to even low levels of the chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birth weights and several kinds of cancer. A group of more than 10,000 human-made chemicals that repel heat, water and oil, PFAS are used in nonstick pans, stain-proof carpets, and other products. But their use is increasingly being restricted across the world due to adverse health effects. In June an Italian court sentenced executives at a chemical plant to jail terms of up to 17 years for polluting water used by hundreds of thousands of people with the chemicals. - 'Putting out fires' - Water samples in Braine-le-Chateau last year revealed levels five to six times higher than a safety standard of 4 nanograms/litre (ng/L) for four PFAS recently agreed by Belgian authorities. The exact source of the pollution has not yet been confirmed and a judicial investigation is underway. Authorities have since ordered water distribution firms to install activated carbon filters -- a move they say has contained the issue. Large-scale blood testing was carried out in Chievres in early 2024 -- and later extended to nearby areas. Authorities said almost 1,300 people across about 10 municipalities had their blood samples taken to confirm exposure to the chemicals in recent weeks, as part of a fresh campaign launched in June. The results, which could lead to new health recommendations, are expected later this year. Wallonia's government, which took office last summer, has also decided to bring forward to 2025 new European Union rules requiring that drinking water must not exceed a total of 100 ng/L for 20 substances in the PFAS family. "We have taken radical measures and all our distributors are now complying with this standard," Yves Coppieters, the regional minister for health and the environment, told AFP. Nevertheless he acknowledged that "the population is very concerned", adding that without clarity on the source of the pollution, it might take decades to resolve the issue. "Telling people not to eat their home-grown eggs and vegetables, setting standards for sewage sludge... for now I'm just putting out fires," said Coppieters, who favours a ban on all products containing PFAS. Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have submitted a joint proposal for the EU to ban the production, sale, and use of almost all forever chemicals. And the European Commission has said it is looking to ban PFAS in everyday consumer products.

Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal
Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Health
  • Yahoo

Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal

A water contamination scandal has gripped a leafy corner of southern Belgium, causing anxious residents to queue up for blood tests to confirm potential exposure to so-called forever chemicals. On an early summer afternoon about a dozen people waited to get their samples taken at a municipal building in Braine-le-Chateau, a picturesque town in the French-speaking Wallonia region. "Initially local authorities told us that measurements were reassuring, but in reality, they didn't have any and were simply trying to keep people calm as best they could," Douglas, a 35-year-old consultant who preferred only to give his first name, told AFP. "This kind of game has to stop," he said, adding he hoped the blood-sampling campaign launched in June would help shed light on the situation. Anger in the region first erupted in 2023 when an investigation by local broadcaster RTBF revealed the authorities had ignored longstanding warnings about high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called forever chemicals. It emerged that the US military, which has an airbase in the small city of Chievres, had warned the local water company in 2017 about high PFAS levels in drinking water, following an incident involving firefighting foam. The US base advised its personnel to drink bottled water -- but locals were left in the dark for years, even after the regional government was told of the issue in 2018. PFAS are a family of synthetic chemicals that take an extremely long time to break down. Chronic exposure to even low levels of the chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birth weights and several kinds of cancer. A group of more than 10,000 human-made chemicals that repel heat, water and oil, PFAS are used in nonstick pans, stain-proof carpets, and other products. But their use is increasingly being restricted across the world due to adverse health effects. In June an Italian court sentenced executives at a chemical plant to jail terms of up to 17 years for polluting water used by hundreds of thousands of people with the chemicals. - 'Putting out fires' - Water samples in Braine-le-Chateau last year revealed levels five to six times higher than a safety standard of 4 nanograms/litre (ng/L) for four PFAS recently agreed by Belgian authorities. The exact source of the pollution has not yet been confirmed and a judicial investigation is underway. Authorities have since ordered water distribution firms to install activated carbon filters -- a move they say has contained the issue. Large-scale blood testing was carried out in Chievres in early 2024 -- and later extended to nearby areas. Authorities said almost 1,300 people across about 10 municipalities had their blood samples taken to confirm exposure to the chemicals in recent weeks, as part of a fresh campaign launched in June. The results, which could lead to new health recommendations, are expected later this year. Wallonia's government, which took office last summer, has also decided to bring forward to 2025 new European Union rules requiring that drinking water must not exceed a total of 100 ng/L for 20 substances in the PFAS family. "We have taken radical measures and all our distributors are now complying with this standard," Yves Coppieters, the regional minister for health and the environment, told AFP. Nevertheless he acknowledged that "the population is very concerned", adding that without clarity on the source of the pollution, it might take decades to resolve the issue. "Telling people not to eat their home-grown eggs and vegetables, setting standards for sewage sludge... for now I'm just putting out fires," said Coppieters, who favours a ban on all products containing PFAS. Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have submitted a joint proposal for the EU to ban the production, sale, and use of almost all forever chemicals. And the European Commission has said it is looking to ban PFAS in everyday consumer products. bur-mad/ub/ec/sbk

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