Key Takeaways
- 162 organizations from 57 countries signed a letter urging F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to ban nicotine pouch sponsorships
- F1 has stated more than four million children aged 8-12 actively follow the sport in the EU and U.S. alone
- Philip Morris International sponsors Ferrari to promote Zyn pouches; British American Tobacco sponsors McLaren with its Velo brand
- 54% of F1’s TikTok followers and 40% of its Instagram audience are under 25
- Separate letters were sent to Disney, Lego, and Mattel urging them to pressure F1 directly
Tobacco Brands Return to F1 Through a New Product Category
Formula 1 banned cigarette sponsorships in 2006. But two of the world’s largest tobacco companies have re-entered the sport through nicotine pouches, a category not covered by the existing prohibition.
Philip Morris International is sponsoring the Ferrari team to promote its Zyn brand. British American Tobacco is sponsoring McLaren with its Velo brand. Logos appear on race cars and on the suits of high-profile drivers including 2025 F1 world champion Lando Norris and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. The sponsorships extend to social media accounts with hundreds of millions of followers combined.
F1’s Youth Expansion Creates a Conflict
The sponsorship tension is amplified by F1’s recent moves to build a younger fan base. The sport has partnered with Disney, Lego, and Mattel’s Hot Wheels, bringing Mickey and Friends to race events and launching co-branded merchandise targeting children.
F1’s own data shows more than four million children aged 8-12 follow the sport in the EU and U.S. More than half of the sport’s TikTok followers are under 25.
The coalition’s letter to Domenicali argues that tobacco brands are leveraging F1’s youth audience reach, and that the sport’s current sponsorship policies have not kept pace with how the tobacco industry has evolved its product lineup.
Health Groups and Corporate Partners Enter the Conversation
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids led the coalition effort. Yolonda C. Richardson, its President and CEO, stated that “marketing tobacco in the same venues as Disney, Lego and Hot Wheels is part of the industry’s ongoing strategy to addict kids to products that harm them.”
Beyond the letter to F1, separate correspondence was sent directly to the CEOs of Disney, Lego, and Mattel, urging each company to formally call on F1 to extend its tobacco ban to include nicotine pouches and related products.
Nicotine pouches are currently the only tobacco product category showing increased youth use in the U.S. Public health groups note that nicotine exposure can affect adolescent brain development through approximately age 25.
What the Youth Sports Industry Should Watch
This story sits at the intersection of youth audience monetization and brand safety, two pressure points that affect every major sports property targeting families and young fans.
Sports organizations and brands that have built credibility with parents around youth safety are increasingly being asked to account for who shares their marketing real estate. For youth sports operators and brand partners working in the youth space, the F1 situation is a visible case study in how audience demographics and sponsorship mix can come into direct conflict.
The full letter to F1 and the partner letters are available at tobaccofreekids.org/Formula-One-partners.
via: Tobacco Free Kids
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