Key Points
- 67 Spanish and international organizations sent the letter ahead of the September 11-13 Formula 1 event in Madrid.
- The campaign specifically highlights PMI’s ZYN partnership with Ferrari and BAT’s relationship with McLaren and VELO.
- PMI has confirmed that ZYN branding will appear on Ferrari liveries at selected races from the 2026 season, while BAT has partnered with McLaren since 2019.
- Formula 1 says more than four million children aged 8-12 actively follow the sport in the EU and U.S.; 54% of its TikTok followers and 40% of Instagram followers are under 25.
2Firsts
September 9, 2026
According to an open letter released by Spanish tobacco-control organization Nofumadores.org and reporting by Spanish news agency EFE on September 7, 67 Spanish and international public-health, medical, tobacco-control and consumer groups have called on Formula 1 to end sponsorships linked to the tobacco and nicotine industry.
The letter, addressed to Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali, specifically highlights Philip Morris International’s ZYN partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP and British American Tobacco’s long-running relationship with McLaren Racing.
It was released less than a week before the September 11-13 Formula 1 event in Madrid.
67 Organizations Call for Broader Sponsorship Restrictions
The initiative was led in Spain by Nofumadores.org.
Signatories include Spain’s National Committee for Smoking Prevention, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, the Spanish Association Against Cancer, consumer group FACUA, the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention, Action on Smoking and Health and the European Public Health Association, among others.
The organizations want Formula 1 to extend its historical move away from cigarette sponsorships to other tobacco and nicotine categories, including nicotine pouches, vaping products and heated tobacco.
Nofumadores.org President Raquel Fernández said the Madrid event should not become a platform for increasing the visibility of new nicotine products among children, adolescents and young adults.
The position reflects the public-health advocacy stance of the organizations signing the letter.
PMI’s ZYN-Ferrari Partnership Draws Attention
The letter focuses in particular on PMI’s expanded partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP.
PMI announced in December 2025 that it was expanding a relationship with Ferrari that has lasted for more than 50 years.
Under the agreement, PMI became a Premium Partner of Scuderia Ferrari HP from the 2026 season.
A major addition was the introduction of nicotine pouch brand ZYN into the partnership.
PMI said ZYN branding would appear on Ferrari Formula 1 liveries at selected races during the 2026 season and beyond, with the branding first appearing at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
ZYN’s Italian website has since promoted the partnership and confirmed that the brand will feature on Ferrari cars at selected races.
PMI describes Formula 1 as a platform for engaging legal-age adult nicotine consumers and says its marketing policies are designed to avoid unintended audiences.
BAT-McLaren Relationship Also Cited
The open letter also focuses on British American Tobacco’s relationship with McLaren Racing.
BAT has partnered with McLaren since 2019. The companies extended their multi-year agreement in 2024, with BAT continuing as an Official Principal Partner of the McLaren Formula 1 Team.
The partnership has long been linked to BAT’s New Categories portfolio, including vaping brand Vuse and modern oral nicotine brand VELO.
McLaren currently lists BAT as a partner and describes the relationship as a global marketing and innovation platform for BAT’s New Categories business.
The organizations cited VELO’s association with McLaren as another example of nicotine brands gaining exposure through international motorsport.
Formula 1’s Younger Audience Is Central to the Campaign
The organizations point to Formula 1’s reach among younger audiences as a central reason for opposing nicotine-related sponsorships.
The figures come from Formula 1 itself.
When announcing collaborations with Disney and LEGO, F1 said more than four million children aged 8 to 12 actively follow the championship across the EU and United States.
F1 also said around 54% of its TikTok followers and 40% of its Instagram followers are under 25.
The sport has also expanded partnerships targeting younger and family audiences, including collaborations with Disney’s Mickey & Friends, LEGO and Hot Wheels.
The signatories argue that this growing youth audience makes the presence of nicotine-related branding within team partnerships a more significant public-health issue.
More Than 160 Groups Made Similar Demand in March
The Madrid-focused initiative follows an earlier international campaign.
On March 4, 2026, more than 160 organizations in the United States and around the world sent an open letter to Domenicali and the Formula 1 board calling for an end to all tobacco-company sponsorships.
That letter also highlighted PMI’s expanded Ferrari relationship involving ZYN and BAT’s continuing partnership with McLaren.
Copies were sent to Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and companies including Disney, LEGO and Mattel that have partnerships with Formula 1.
The September campaign brings that international pressure into Spain ahead of the Madrid race.
Existing Rules Leave a Policy Boundary Around New Nicotine Products
EU Directive 2003/33/EC prohibits tobacco-product sponsorship of events or activities that involve several member states or otherwise have cross-border effects.
Spain’s Law 28/2005 also imposes broad restrictions on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship and contains marketing restrictions for electronic cigarettes and related nicotine-delivery devices.
The EU sponsorship directive, however, defines tobacco products by reference to products made at least partly of tobacco. Modern nicotine pouches such as ZYN and VELO are tobacco-free.
The latest campaign therefore goes beyond enforcement of historical cigarette sponsorship rules. The groups are asking Formula 1 to adopt a voluntary policy covering all tobacco and nicotine products, including categories that do not contain tobacco.
Formula 1 has not publicly announced that it will adopt the requested policy.
F1 Again Becomes a Focus of Nicotine Marketing Debate
Tobacco brands were once among Formula 1’s most prominent commercial sponsors, before direct cigarette branding gradually disappeared as advertising and sponsorship restrictions expanded.
As tobacco companies have built businesses in vaping, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches, newer nicotine brands have again become part of motorsport marketing strategies.
PMI’s introduction of ZYN into its decades-long Ferrari relationship and BAT’s continuing use of McLaren as a global platform for its New Categories business have brought Formula 1 back into the debate over the boundary between smoke-free nicotine marketing and tobacco-industry sponsorship.
The letter from 67 organizations ahead of the Madrid event shows that the debate is shifting from whether cigarette sponsorship should return to a broader question: whether Formula 1 should treat tobacco-free nicotine products such as nicotine pouches under the same sponsorship policy.
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Cover Image: nofumadores
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