Ferrari-Malboro F1 sponsorship deal provokes anger of the health lobby

Health experts have reacted with fury to the news that one of the world's largest tobacco firms has renewed its sponsorship of the Ferrari motor-racing team.

Both Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) have written to Jean Todt, president of Formula One's governing body, the FIA, urging him to investigate the deal.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, said the deal gave Ferrari 'an unfair advantage over other teams which no longer take tainted tobacco industry sponsorship'.

Professor John Britton, chair of the RCP's tobacco advisory board group and director of the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies (UKCTCS), said the deal appeared to breach EU laws prohibiting tobacco sponsorship.

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Jamie Doward
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 3 July 2011