It also called on "all sporting bodies, including Formula 1 and MotoGP, to adopt strong tobacco-free policies," and to ensure none of their activities or participants are sponsored by tobacco companies. The appeal comes after Philip Morris International (PMI) and British American Tobacco (BAT) formed partnerships with their scientific research subsidiaries and Formula 1 teams Ferrari and McLaren, more than a decade after cigarette advertising was banned from the sport.
Since 2006, Formula 1's ruling body FIA has been opposed to any advertising or sponsoring of cigarettes or tobacco. But with teams struggling to meet their budget requirements, the allure of advertising revenue from "Big Tobacco" has grown. The tobacco companies are no longer advertising for their traditional cigarette brands, but appear to be pushing new, so-called "smoke-free" heated tobacco products, although they do not mention them by name.
PMI, whose Marlboro brand was long associated with Ferrari, re-entered the sport last October, branding Ferrari cars with "Mission Winnow" and a logo that hints at the white-on-red triangles of the old Marlboro packs.