BAT returns to Formula 1 with McLaren
British American Tobacco returns to the top category of motorsport by partnering with McLaren for a multi-year contract.
McLaren announced that the British multinational, British American Tobacco, had signed a multi-year partnership. Today, the English company is seen as a leader in the tobacco world and aims to change its business (and its public image).
The focus of this new partnership is the future. Indeed, BAT and McLaren Applied Technologies will share their knowledge of new technologies to allow both parties to evolve. BAT will assist the Woking-based team in working on batteries. Meanwhile, the English tobacco company intends to reduce the risks of nicotine.
The law concerning tobacco advertising having become much stricter, the British American Tobacco logo will not be visible on the single-seater, but the slogan “a better tomorrow,” meant to evoke the brand, will be present. This disguised advertising clearly alludes to the partnership between Ferrari and Philip Morris, where the slogan “Mission Winnow” is visible on the red single-seater.
British American Tobacco is no stranger to the premier category of motorsport, having notably founded its own Formula 1 team, British American Racing, in 1997, which later became Honda, then Brawn GP, and finally Mercedes.
Zak Brown seems delighted with this new partnership: «We welcome BAT to the McLaren team and support its ambition to bring about significant and sustainable changes through innovation. BAT’s transformation program is at the heart of this partnership and we are happy to share our technical experience and expertise to help accelerate this process.»
