Formula One is under renewed scrutiny as more than 160 public health and anti-tobacco organisations call for a ban on nicotine pouch sponsorships that critics say exploit the sport’s expanding youth audience.
The concerns focus primarily on partnerships involving Philip Morris International’s Zyn brand and British American Tobacco’s Velo, which currently appear on the liveries and race suits of the Ferrari and McLaren teams.
Campaign groups argue that these arrangements contradict Formula One’s strategic push to engage younger fans. A 2025 press release stated that nearly four million children aged eight to twelve now actively follow the sport across the United States and European Union, a rise fuelled by youth-focused partnerships with brands such as Disney, Lego, Hot Wheels and high-visibility media through social platforms and Netflix’s Drive to Survive.
Letters seen by Reuters and attributed to organisations including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the American Lung Association warn that tobacco companies aim to reach the same young demographic that Formula One has worked hard to attract. They urge the sport’s commercial rights holder, the Formula One Group, to expand its 2006 cigarette sponsorship ban to include nicotine pouches. Similar appeals have been directed at major F1 partners with large youth audiences, including Disney and Lego.
Tobacco companies defend their involvement. Both PMI and BAT insist that their marketing targets adults, with BAT highlighting that its digital activities are age restricted. PMI has dismissed campaigners’ objections as tired and lazy, arguing that adult consumers of nicotine products simply engage in popular culture and sporting events.
Formula One maintains that all sponsorships comply with applicable laws. However, academics and public health officials remain unconvinced. While some researchers acknowledge nicotine pouches pose fewer risks than cigarettes, they stress that the products are not risk free and should not be promoted through sports that attract adolescent fans.
The growing backlash highlights a fundamental tension for the sport. Formula One has successfully cultivated a younger global audience, but this achievement now collides with criticism that nicotine branding undermines efforts to protect children. As calls intensify for the sport and its partners to rethink their commercial ties, Formula One faces a pivotal question: can it maintain its youth-driven momentum while allowing sponsorships tied to addictive nicotine products?
