Attorney General Bonta Waves the Red Flag on Youth Exposure to Tobacco Marketing in Formula 1

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in sending a letter to the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Formula 1 (F1) regarding tobacco industry and nicotine sponsorship. Despite F1's 2006 policy prohibiting cigarette sponsorships, teams have now changed their strategy to race after young fans with prominent advertisements for highly addictive nicotine pouches such as Velo and Zyn. Given F1's popularity boom, its significant youth viewership, and the danger of exposing young people to highly addictive and harmful nicotine products, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition are calling for the FIA and F1 to prohibit sponsorships involving all tobacco and nicotine products, including nicotine pouches, and to terminate all current sponsorships involving these products.

"Safety in F1 isn't just about protecting drivers; it also includes protecting the public and our children from highly addictive nicotine and tobacco products. These races may be 'simply lovely,' but marketing these dangerous products to innocent and young viewers is simply dangerous," said Attorney General Bonta. "This past weekend, the world watched one of the most known spectacles of motorsport while being targeted by the tobacco industry. Today, we're calling on the FIA and F1 to prohibit sponsorships involving all tobacco and nicotine products, including nicotine pouches. Viewers, especially our children, deserve better."

In recent years, F1 has witnessed an increase in youth attendance, viewership, and digital engagement. Many young people attend races taking place in the United States, and many more watch from home via broadcasts, streaming, and social media. This has been accompanied by youth-focused cross-sponsorships and streaming partnerships with Netflix's Drive to Survive series and the docuseries F1: The Academy, which highlights an all-female junior category of racing with drivers as young as 16 years old. Still, despite a 2006 policy prohibiting cigarette sponsorships, young fans are now being exposed to highly addictive nicotine pouches such as Velo from British American Tobacco and Zyn from Phillip Morris International/Swedish Match North America. These brands have appeared on different cars and even the F1 Kids broadcast, which features child-friendly content like animated avatars for drivers.

Nicotine and tobacco products are highly addictive and harmful for public health - especially for youth. Research shows that tobacco advertising influences youth to start using tobacco products, with a separate study showing that tobacco marketing exposure is associated with youth nicotine pouch use. The influence of exposure to one tobacco product is also known to influence the subsequent use of other tobacco products. Notably, this isn't the first lap, as over 160 public health entities have also called on F1 to make changes. As the sport continues to grow in popularity, it has become increasingly important that the FIA and F1 take steps to prohibit these marketing practices that threaten public health and endanger children.

Attorney General Bonta is committed to protecting the public from the negative effects of exposure to tobacco and nicotine products. Last month, he urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to abandon draft guidance that would ease approvals for flavored e-cigarette products, widely understood to disproportionately worsen youth addiction. He also recently co-led a bipartisan coalition of 25 attorneys general and the City of New York in sending letters to nine major credit card and payment processing companies urging them to take stronger action to prevent the unlawful sale of tobacco and nicotine products, particularly e-cigarettes, online and at brick-and-mortar stores. In December, Attorney General Bonta announced the publication of the first-ever Unflavored Tobacco List that clarified which unflavored tobacco products are lawful in California.

In sending this letter, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Hawaiʻi, Vermont, Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.