Formula 1 addiction to tobacco

Why? Yes, it's a moral issue, but is there morals in business? You're talking about a product that has one of the most brand loyal followings aside from airline mileage clubs. These are consumers who buy a product and tend to stick to that product for life. It's big money, but how many other products do you have that pay that well with that kind of brand loyalty.

 

Last time I looked, tobacco could be legally sold in most (all?) jurisdictions.
I can't speak for other countries, but mine receives enormous revenue from tobacco excise.
I find it to be grossly hypocritical that governments can ban the advertisment of a legal product and still happily receive the revenue from its sale.
If they felt so strongly about its use - ban it!
As for F1 - the above principles apply IMHO
John

 

I read on autoweek's web site, that the team owners want the new rules to bring down the cost of cars in 2006 instead of 2008

Since you are changing all the rules then anyway...it would be a good time to go after tobacco ads

 

While we're at it lets take a portion of each race ticket and donate the proceeds to SOME NEW AGE CHARITY. Then lets make the cars run on something like ethenol or even water... JEEEEEEEESSSSssssssssshhhhh!

Perhaps more whine with that cheese...

cheers

 

Good point John - the hypocrisy is really beyond understanding. In Canada, our government has become truly obsessed with it while raking in untold millions from taxes. Witness our confusion with the Canadian GP.

Maybe there have been exhaustive studies on the topic, but I can't believe that tobacco ads are going to encourage people (specifically young people) to smoke. I assume that's the main objection (?).

When the local university was building a new football stadium, a huge beer company offered a huge sum of money in return for advertising in the stadium. It was refused because the powers-that-be felt that beer ads would encourage the helpless undergrads to start drinking (!!!!).

Tobacco is a filthy, dangerous habit, but as long as its legal, I don't see how governments can block the ads. I'm no fan of the evil empire that is big tobacco, but I don't see how you can target them without targeting all junk food, all booze....etc.

 

All this smoking ban legislation is ridiculous. People smoke because they want to, and if cigarette sponsorship is phased out, it'll just come back under different market names (cig co.s don't JUST make cigs--look to see what phillip morris et al truly own.)
moreover, if tobacco is phased out, it'll be replaced with something else, say, alcohol, which has the same moral questions regarding it's legitimacy as an appropriate product. NASCAR still has the Busch (i.e., Budweiser) Series right? And, they still run the Winston West Series, right? Winston is Winston Tobacco -- they'll just market it under a diff name.

 

I don't find them to be a big deal at all.Never made me want to smoke.It's kinda stupid to me really.

 

So who is going to show up and pony up $100,000,000 dollars like Marlborough?

You can run the whole IRL and NASCAR and ALMS series for the sponsorship monies for one F1 Team.

 

This is very interesting. As much as I love Ducati and Ferrari, I hate that the teams are sponsored by PM. And although the idea of Valentino Rossi on a Ducati was so thrilling, that he allegedly turned down the deal because he didn't want to race for a tobacco company earned him a lot of respect in my book.

I wish that the teams were just sponsored by something other tobacco companies.

 

You've got Alcohol, Drugs, the Mafia, and politicians as the only industries with this kind of cash to burn.

Take your pick.

 

I also applaud V. Rossi's stance re: Tobacco.

However, he rides for Gauloises Yamaha now.. Dose anybody know if this "Gauloises" is different from the French cigarette mfg Gauloises? (their smokes were considered cool in my college days, btw)?

No matter how the company name is spelled in the livery, I think it is pretty obvious what company they are advertising!

-Art

ps: does anybody else think it looks weird how McLaren chose to write the driver's names for tracks were Tobacco advertising is not allowed? I think the black McLaren cars look real pretty, but it seems totally bizarre having "KIMI" written on the side of it.... Better than GO!!!!!! ?

 

I don't seem them ever putting in as much as the tobacco companies, but I think the tech companies are the way of the future. Vodaphone, HP, folks like that. Of course, seeing how tech companies come and go, that might not be such a good thing.

 

Saw this in another forum.. it looks pretty good too better than leaving it blank....
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

It was my assumption that Gauloises is the cigarette brand. Counting the number of letters and exclamation points in "GO!!!!!!!" you get the same number as there are letters in the name Gauloises.

Regarding the hipocracy of governments to tax cigarettes, the justification lies in the externality that smoking imposes on society in the form of health problems. By imposing a tax, the state probably hopes to achieve two goals: (1) lower the number of cigarettes sold; and (2) receive some money to cover the costs of taking care of those who suffer from the health hazards of smoking.

 

I agree - People should take responsability for their own actions. No one makes you smoke. It is an action that you pick to due.

As far as taxes on cigs. The govt tax an average of $3.00 a pack and that was before al this ban on smoking started. They make money on the packs & they make money on the deaths (do not have to pay SS)

It all boils down to each person making up their own mind. Next the govt will go after booze, fast food, candy anything else the public deems unsafe.

You know one of the main killers is cars so we have to ban them.

Just my $.02

 

Thanks for the confirmation LA Swede!

So I guess V. Rossi had a change of heart/compromise regarding not riding tobacco dollars.

I have nothing against tobacco users, but kinda sad to see that V. Rossi had to relent on his position against big tobacco.

-Art