McLaren DEFEND controversial sponsor amid ban threat
McLaren DEFEND controversial sponsor amid ban threat
McLaren have defended their sponsorship with Velo despite several organisations in the Netherlands lodging a complaint ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.
The company sell '100 per cent tobacco-free' nicotine pouches, according to their website, and bill the snus product as a 'great alternative to traditional smoking'.
The substance, owned by British American Tobacco, a sponsor of McLaren, was banned in the Netherlands earlier this year and classified as a potential health risk.
Nevertheless, this year's MCL60 sports the brand's logo on its sidepods.
And in an attempt to halt the advertisement of the product at Zandvoort, the Dutch Heart Foundation, KWF cancer fund and the Lung Fund have filed a complaint with the Advertising Code Commission.
READ MORE: F1 team in sponsorship CONTROVERSY with calls for livery BAN
Branding 'fully complies' with the law
"To sustain a sickening and deadly business, in our opinion, this is contrary to good taste and decency," KWF director Carla van Gils told De Telegraaf.
McLaren, however, have defended their stance and insisted that sporting the Velo branding on their machines is legal under Dutch legislation.
"All branding carried on McLaren race cars fully complies with regulatory requirements and advertising standards of each country we race in," a team spokesperson told Motorsport.com.
Cigarette adverts are banned in Formula 1 but teams continue to make hefty profits, often ranging in the millions, from various tobacco companies.
Notably, Phil Morris International are a sponsor of Ferrari.
READ MORE: McLaren announce driver's DEPARTURE for next season
Related news
McLaren boss reveals which driver 'can compete with Schumacher'
Norris admits frustration after missing out on US F1 Grand Prix pole
Stella admits being blown away by 'impossible' McLaren 2023 gains
McLaren announce signing of 'promising' new driver
Most read
FIA take action after Verstappen track limits mishap
F1 News Today: FIA make changes as Mercedes receive double penalty and Horner curses bad luck
Red Bull to replace driver at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Stroll issues Alonso Aston Martin contract verdict
Horner takes aim at Kravitz with savage jibe at Sky Sports pundit
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Australia 2023
- Grand Prix of China 2023
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
- Miami Grand Prix 2023
- Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
- AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
- Grand Prix du Canada 2023
- Grand Prix of Austria 2023
- Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Italy 2023
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
- Grand Prix of Japan 2023
- Qatar Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of the United States 2023
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
- Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860