British Expatriate Network

http//news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/3020348.stm

I tend to agree with F1 in their row with the EU over tobacco advertising that F1 races outside of Europe with tobacco sponsorship will still be beamed into the region, so they will acheive very little by banning it, except nudging F1 out of Europe.

I know smoking is bad and all that, but I've never really understood how you could ban advertisements for a legal product? I thought the compromises reached over the past few decades -such as keeping ads away from areas with high child interest- were quite sensible ...and it's not like you see the drivers or crews lounging around smoking and "looking cool". Furthermore, tobacco companies will still find ways to get their message across -and the more subtle and subliminal these messages get, the more effective they have the potential to be, in my opinion.

What do you think?

I agree, seeing a car with advertisements on it does not make me run out and buy that product, its another case of big brother.
If they want people to stop smoking then bann them, but the goverments would'nt want to do that as they get a big fat wad of cash from taxing them roll

Everyone knows fags are harmfull, the same as booze but there no great discussion about that, If people want to smoke they will regardless of advertisements, I am a huge Villenuve fan and have never smoked a Lucky Strike, so thats how much it works.

I for one cant wait for the day that the new Joran is painted exactly like a ciggarette. Or even better - have Eddie Irvine smoke a fag for the entire race.

Seems like a silly thing to ban a legal product from being advertised - you cant have it both ways. Maybe its to protect Formula one viewers who are sat in no-smoking sections of a pub and watching it.

After all, nothing's stopping ASH sponsoring a team and painting the car like a blackened lung. Probably best to go with one like BAR to get that realistic smoke and coughing effect. grin

I am peeved. Spa is an awesome circuit.
That raced brings in millions of quid into the area for a weekend and the FIA needs to tell the Belgian authorities that the race will go ahead as planned and they don't have to show it on the TV if they don't want.
And then let them get the backlash from the ordinary Belgian punter.

And as for pulling out of Europe, let European Union go bollox on this one. Keep the races where they are, and the advertising in place. Someone (probably Murdoch) will screen the races wherever they take place.

But they wouldn't be able to allow punters in, either -it's not just advertising on TV that's banned/being banned.

and how ironic would that be with probably 30% of the punters turning up puffing on Gauloise?

I think that Formula 1 and every other civilized group or individual should boycott the EU because of this

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