Formula One Racing and the End of Tobacco
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EDITORIAL 87 Tob Control: first published as 10.1136/tc.11.2.87 on 1 June 2002. Downloaded from Sponsorship stage to imply that they are exciting, ................................................................................... respectable, and welcome to take their place in civilised company. Formula One racing and the end of “Tobacco sponsorship is tobacco sponsorship: half pregnant today’s leading vector for the spread of lung cancer at 350 kph? and other tobacco caused disease” S Chapman ................................................................................... But as surely as mosquitoes spread malaria, tobacco sponsorship is today’s Formula One racing is one of the most watched events in the leading vector for the spread of lung world, providing its main sponsor, the tobacco industry, with cancer and other tobacco caused disease. unparalleled exposure for its product The World Health Organization puts the figure at over four million who die each year from tobacco caused disease, in- A friend recently told me about an 2002 race would be safe for spectators creasingly in less developed nations. incident when travelling in Brazil. A full and officials. But what of the millions of While the racing fraternity routinely plane waited on the tarmac for a deaths that will occur among smokers participate in road safety campaigns4 in seemingly interminable period as the around the world across the next 30 recognition of their massive influence flight attendants breathlessly an- years who will be exposed to a different with the young who are over represented nounced that a VIP would be joining the sort of motor racing hazard? Yet again,2 it in road death statistics, promoting smok- flight soon . .“we apologise for the is worth recalling Stalin’s axiom that a ing to the same adoring fans seems to delay”. As the clock ticked and crossword single death is a tragedy, but a million trouble few of them. puzzles were completed, passengers deaths are a mere statistic. For industry apologists who snort speculated on their imminent company. Grand Prix motor racing is the most “Who ever took up smoking after seeing The President? The Pope? Koffi Annan? watched event after the Olympics and the the word ‘Marlboro’ painted on a car or a The mystery passenger was long retired soccer World Cup, with each race broad- Lucky Strike billboard?”, “It’s only di- Formula One icon Emerson Fittipaldi, cast to a potential viewing audience of 350 rected at adult smokers. Tobacco compa- like his deceased Brazilian compatriot million. Its major sponsors over the last 20 nies don’t want kids to smoke”, one need Ayrton Senna, little short of a cultural years have been tobacco companies. As only consider the Japanese Yamaha divinity in Latin America. Dewhirst and Hunter describe in this motor cycle team which is sponsored by During the 2001 Formula One (F1) issue,3 in 2001 the three leading F1 PlayStation, the child’s electronic game, Grand Prix in Melbourne, race marshall tobacco sponsors pumped some US$753.5 as well as by Chesterfield, the “adult’s” http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/ Graham Beveridge was tragically killed by million into the Grand Prix because they cigarette (fig 1). Presumably some mys- a wheel flung from Jacques Villeneuve’s know it works wonders for their bottom terious process lets children absorb Play- disintegrating car.1 A full coroner’s line. It keeps brand names in front of a Station advertising on a rider’s left sleeve inquest was held, followed by a review by stratospheric number of people and pow- but makes them oblivious to the tobacco motor racing’s governing body Federation erfully distracts from all that regrettable logos emblazoned across his chest. To- Internationale De L’automobile (FIA). stuff about smoking causing cancer. It bacco advertising—along with junk food advertisers whistling tunes in childrens’ One death was deemed worthy of a full builds a global constituency of craven viewing periods—are the only forms of investigation involving an international politicians, all slavering to get and retain advertising where we have the sad spec- review team, front page reportage, and grand prix events in their cities. And tacle of its defenders trying to claim that endless speculation about whether the above all it gives tobacco companies a it doesn’t work. In Australia, tobacco sponsorship was on September 30, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. banned in 1995. However, the law left a loophole to allow a handful exemptions for elite international sports like Grand Prix and Indycar. This was “half preg- nant” politics at its worst. The arguments that sustained the decision to ban Benson and Hedges sponsorship of cricket in Australia, Winfield’s of the rugby league, and Peter Jackson’s of local motor racing of course apply exactly to the Grand Prix, but with bells on. Max Mosley, president of Formula One’s world governing body, announced last November with Gro Harlem Brundt- land, director general of WHO, that the Grand Prix would end all tobacco spon- soring at the end of the 2006 season.5 The former Australian health minister Michael Wooldridge had acted to close the loophole by amending the Act in 2000 in an action that may have caused the dominoes to start tumbling for FIA. Figure 1 The Japanese Yamaha motor cycle team, emblazoned with logos from its various Earlier this year an ever pragmatic Mos- sponsors, including PlayStation and Chesterfield. ley had this to say on the subject: www.tobaccocontrol.com 88 EDITORIAL “But there is a general worldwide Since Benson & Hedges left the cricket, have done wrong. Is it unimaginable that Tob Control: first published as 10.1136/tc.11.2.87 on 1 June 2002. Downloaded from movement against tobacco and although the Australian team has barely won a FIA officials and the leading drivers who I don’t think it will actually make any game.* Presumably, the five years grace have done more than any other individu- difference to the number of people who for tobacco in the grand prix is born of the als on earth to promote smoking, might smoke, or any of those issues—that’s my same nonsense. think about how they could meaningfully personal view—the fact remains that the Five years grace is supposed to make do these things? trend is against. If you were to allow For- everyone feel that justice has finally been Tobacco Control 2002;11:87–88 mula 1 to go on with tobacco advertising, done. But imagine if after last year’s two things would happen. You would trackside death in Melbourne grand prix ..................... gradually restrict the number of coun- officials had retorted “well, we acknow- Author’s affiliation tries in which you can have a Grand Prix, ledge that safety problems exist at the Correspondence to: Professor Simon Chapman, and secondly, you would tend to push track, but let’s not go overboard Department of Public Health and Community Formula 1 into a kind of side road of here . .we’re announcing that we will fix Medicine, Edward Ford Building A27, sponsorship and you might well find that these problem in five years.” The moral University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia: [email protected] general sports sponsorship overtook you. revulsion would be palpable. If Mosley You were stuck there with tobacco, com- and FIA know it is wrong and socially REFERENCES pletely in their hands, and even though unacceptable to abet tobacco companies 1 Highfield J. Inquest into fatal Grand Prix the money was going up everywhere by providing them one of the world’s larg- accident. The World Today (ABC radio Australia). 3 December 2001. URL: else, you couldn’t introduce any of that est stages to do their dirty work, it is http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/ into Formula 1 because none of them wrong now, wrong next race, and wrong s431452.htm all next year. It is not simply wrong five 2 Shatenstein S, Chapman S. The banality of would come in because you’ve got tobacco deaths. Tobacco Control tobacco. So you have a double risk: years from now. 2002;11:1–2. cutting down the countries, losing out on Society expects those who have done 3 Dewhirst T, Hunter A. Tobacco sponsorship of Formula One and CART auto racing: sponsorship. It seemed to me that the wrong to do five things: admit they did it; tobaccon brand exposure and enhanced right course was to try to get out of say they’re sorry; try to make good the symbolic imagery through co-sponsor’s third tobacco and bring Formula 1 back into damage done; promise never to do it party advertising. Tobacco Control 6 2002;11:146–150. the mainstream of sports sponsorship.” again; and do a penance or public humili- 4 Federation Internationale De Whenever tobacco sponsorship has ation, symbolising that they accept they L’automobile. Ten seconds that can save been threatened in the past, a sordid cav- your life. URL: http://www.fia.com/tourisme/ AutoMotive/automotive8a/10-secondes/ alcade of sponsorship fattened sports ........................................ 10_secondes.html administrators and sound bite fed sports- 5 Anon. F1 to ban cigarette ads. CNN. 22 *For those readers from non-cricketing nations, November 2001. URL: http:// men have threatened the end of the europe.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/11/ world. As we all now know, Marlboro’s for years Australia has been the undisputed world champion in this sport, regularly 22/fia.tobacco/ ignominious exit from the Australian 6 Forumla 1.Com Max Mosley interview. 16 humbling—some might say disgracing—teams February 2002. URL: http:// http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/ Open Tennis reduced that event to little from nations with far larger populations, such as www.formula1.com/news/headlines02/02/ more than a suburban tennis match.