In 2001 the FIA made an agreement with the tobacco companies, the racing teams and the World Health Organisation that all association with Tobacco and Formula 1 would end in 2006. In 2005 the EU passed the law to prevent tobacco advertising and tried to implement it on F1 (note EU and not world). The fall out of the 2006 season then ensued with the then 'subliminal' or 'clever' advertising strategies.
Taking Ferrari as an example:
But they are not breaking rules because they are not advertising Marlboro. As Hun said, it is merely association.
The rule as it stood and which can only be cited through journalists reports is no advertising or sponsorship. How is association not sponsorship or advertising?
All teams were fairly given five years to make alternative arrangements, teams like Williams, to their own detriment, withdrew all association early. I don't understand why other teams are allowed exemption to the rule.
Because the image is not a copyright of Marlboro, the association is made by you, the viewer. Therefore, it is not advertising Marlboro.
The image combined with your knowledge of Ferrari's previous sponsorship and the Marlboro colours is what makes it advertising. But the image alone is not advertising.
I don't really get why you care so much - but thats a debate for the other thread.
The association is in the name 'Ferrari Scuderia Marlboro'.
Why do I care? Formula 1, or at least getting to the top, is about ingenuity. Every now and then the rules get changed and if you don't comply you get penalised. Ferrari however seem to work to a different set of rules.
It is a current topic of debate, it is therefore relevant to this weekends GP.
Of the first practice session, Renault have a new main sponsor, Lotus have sprung a new mini rear wing, McLaren have a strange intake-like-looking device under the nose and Schumi was third, behind the two McLaren.
That sounds more like setting up a new set of rules to penalise Ferrari for something no one cared about till some silly doctors decided to notice recently. There was nothing stopping other teams working out similar deals - they chose not to mostly because tobacco companies wouldn't get any worth from it without the long-term use like the barcode.
I think the issue is rather pathetic now its been 4 years for anyone to complain about this. Now its a problem? Why now?
Why is innovation wrong for sponsorship and money but right for aerodynamics like you seem be suggesting?
And I doubt many people even know the full name of the team, as its rarely mentioned and only briefly seen in the pit garage. People always ask who STR are.
So instead of congragulating Ferrari's ingenuity in solving this particular financial problem, we should instead drag them down?
This makes no sense, almost jealousy in a sense. This is not Ferrari's wrong doing and more to do with the stupidity of banning tobacco sponsorship in the first place.
Its worth pointing out that Williams steadily declined before the outright ban on tobacco sponsorship. And Lotus went out of the sport for bigger problems than sponsorship.
And the doctors are very silly, one for taking 4 years to notice. Two for missing the fact that Ducati also run the same deal. Three because it was pretty bloody obvious. Smells like lazy doctors trying to sound like they're doing something rather than having legitimate concerns.
I said it already. Whatever Ferrari designs in their engine cover will, from now on, be associated with Marlboro. And Philip Morris can thank these doctors for that.
If it's a circle, it will remind us of the circular shape of cigarettes
If it's a square, it will remind us of the rectangular shape of a pack
etc
Back to Formula 1, just 4 things I think are worthy of a comment:
1. even if I'm not a Schumi fan, I'm over 40 so I was glad to see Schumi do well this morning
2. The Ferraris were so off the pace I suspect they were testing heavy loads
3. McLarens up there beating the RBR guys is promising
4. Christian Klien made the best of his chance to drive in F1. Maybe he should be promoted from test to race driver?
Have a nice day, you all F1 fans![]()
Back to Formula 1, just 4 things I think are worthy of a comment:
1. even if I'm not a Schumi fan, I'm over 40 so I was glad to see Schumi do well this morning
2. The Ferraris were so off the pace I suspect they were testing heavy loads
3. McLarens up there beating the RBR guys is promising
4. Christian Klien made the best of his chance to drive in F1. Maybe he should be promoted from test to race driver?
Have a nice day, you all F1 fans![]()
If Christian Klien gets a race drive, he better be replacing Chandhok and not Senna. Or else i'd not really care much about HRT anymore.
So you only care about a name and a helmet? Chandhok has been doing well for himself all things considered. Its difficult to judge which driver is doing better in that team because the car is so terrible though.
I'd rather not see either driver kicked out, as both are great personalities and still haven't had a chance to prove themselves.
Anyway, with that team its all about the money.
Q: The Red Bulls again look very quick, so how do you see them for this weekend?
JB: I might have to say that they might be untouchable for this Grand Prix. We are not feeling happy with our car, as we are not getting a good lap time out of it. And yes, for them it is a real good job to be in the 1m19s. So they must have done a good job on their package. But as I said before, the race is like a marathon and qualifying the sprint distance - and points will be allocated after 66 laps.
So you only care about a name and a helmet? Chandhok has been doing well for himself all things considered. Its difficult to judge which driver is doing better in that team because the car is so terrible though.
I'd rather not see either driver kicked out, as both are great personalities and still haven't had a chance to prove themselves.
Anyway, with that team its all about the money.
Sounds like he isn't very confident about Sunday.
I just read an interview with Button on the F1 website.
Sounds like he isn't very confident about Sunday.
Finally Schumacher has some pace... Qualify will be interesting