Jump to full article: Financial Times (uk), 2007-08-31
Author: Sarah Laitner in Brussels and John Griffiths in London
Intro: Formula 1 should cut its remaining ties to tobacco as part of efforts to discourage youngsters from smoking, the European Commission's health chief has said.
Markos Kyprianou said: "Formula 1 race drivers . . . are viewed as heroes. They can become role models . . . so the young people watch these people with tobacco signs on their chest and the wrong message goes out."
He urged the sport to scrap big-money tobacco sponsorship and advertising deals, in a further sign of the Commission's contentious anti-smoking campaign.
Mr Kyprianou's call will focus attention on Ferrari, the only team, he said, that still had tobacco sponsors. Ferrari, home to drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen, carries branding from Marlboro, a division of the tobacco company Philip Morris.
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