Philip Morris is said to have pulled the plug on the sponsorship due to the ongoing “mistrust” towards the tobacco industry, reports Jalopnik.
While tobacco sponsorships have been discouraged in Formula One they have not been completely banned and Philip Morris’ vaping initiative Mission Winnow has been a sponsor for Ferrari since 2019. Now, Philip Morris has taken the decision to remove its Mission Winnow sponsorship from the Ferrari cars citing “mistrust.”
“The Mission Winnow logo will not be featured on the Scuderia Ferrari livery during races in the EU, starting with the French Grand Prix this weekend,” said Riccardo Parino, Vice President of Global Partnerships at Philip Morris. He went on to say that, “Mission Winnow respects all laws and regulations and continuously strives to find distinctive ways to drive dialogue, free of ideology, and build strong partnerships that are rooted in shared values.
We acknowledge the mistrust and abundance of scepticism towards our industry. However, our intention is not to create controversy around the application of the logo but rather focus on re-framing global conversations, building communities, and supporting innovative ideas that drive positive change.”