Ferrari and Philip Morris are discussing a new agreement

Since the late 90s, Philip Morris and Ferrari have been partners. For nearly 10 years, this partnership between the Scuderia and the global tobacco giant manifested in the presence of PMI’s cigarette brand on the F1 cars.

In the late 2000s, it became illegal to advertise tobacco brands. Ferrari could no longer display the name of the famous cigarette brand on its racing car. Despite these restrictions, the two companies remained partners but with more discretion.

However, since 2018, the cigarette brand owned by PMI has returned to the forefront with Mission Winnow (supposedly focused on finding future solutions to overcome tobacco addiction). In 2019, Mission Winnow was integrated as an official sponsor in the team’s name, before temporarily disappearing from the cars in 2020.

During certain races, the Scuderia is asked to remove the logo from its Ferraris. Not wishing to face the most stringent anti-tobacco advertising laws (notably in France, Canada, and Australia), the Maranello brand and PMI obey.

This year, the Mission Winnow logo did not appear on the F1 cars of Sainz and Leclerc in France, Ferrari then announced that it will not be used during races on European soil. End of a partnership that has lasted for over 20 years or a political obligation, Mattia Binotto wanted to respond to this matter.

« If you look at last year or previous years, there were races where we didn’t have a logo on the car. This was due to the rules of different countries, and we are simply trying to respect them as we have done in the past and as we still do today.

The current agreement between Ferrari and Philip Morris expires at the end of the year, but the Scuderia’s director ensures that discussions are underway for an extension.

There are ongoing discussions with PMI, who is a very strong and close partner for us for many years, and the relationships are good. So, to know how this will end, I think we will see in the coming months”, he said.