The nannies are everywhere

Group calls for ban of alcohol sponsorship in Formula One

Alcohol sponsorship ban potentially devastating for small teams

FIA president Jean Todt has recently come under fire from lobbyists demanding the end of sponsorship within Formula One, as the European Union plans to ban alcoholic-drink advertising across all sports. The move would put even more strain on teams looking for sponsorship dollars, particularly smaller teams like Williams and Force India.

Alcohol sponsors such as Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff bring crucial dollars to teams. According to The Telegraph, Martini is bringing close to $16 million dollars to Williams, and McLaren is getting $23.5 million from Johnnie Walker. Force India, a team rumored to be in financial trouble, signed a deal with Smirnoff at the beginning of the 2014 season.

Leading the charge here is the European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare). In an open letter to Todt, the organization’s secretary general, Mariann Skar, argues the sport promotes an “association between drinking and driving.

“Allowing alcohol sponsorship in Formula One seems to contradict many official guidelines for the marketing of alcohol. It runs against the EU directive [that] states marketing for the consumption of alcohol should not be linked to driving.

“When considering the continued destructive prevalence of drunk driving, permitting the mixed messages presented in alcohol sponsorship of Formula One seems ever more inappropriate given the total viewing audience of 500 million.”

The open letter also responds to the argument that banning alcohol sponsorship would have dire financial consequences for race teams, stating, “Such concerns are largely unjustified. When the tobacco industry was edged out of snooker, horse racing and even Formula One itself, the sports made successful shifts, and alternative sponsors emerged.”