McLaren CEO Zak Brown has defended the F1 team's partnership with new sponsor British American Tobacco, insisting it has no relationship with the tobacco industry. BAT's presence in Formula 1 loomed large between 1999 and 2006, when the company co-owned the BAR outfit and promoted its Lucky Strike brand. Thereafter, it fell under the general ban on cigarette advertising that came into force in Europe at the end of 2006. Earlier this week, McLaren announced a multi-year deal with BAT centered around the promotion of the company's "potentially reduced risk products" and the activation of a programme called "A Better Tomorrow", a concept similar to Philip Morris...
Full Story »