BMW WilliamsF1 announced on Tuesday that it has signed a groundbreaking sponsorship deal with GlaxoSmithKline's smoking cessation product, NiQuitin CQ.
NiQuitin is the UK's leading nicotine replacement product. The company claims that it's clinically proven to double a smoker's chance of quitting.
The brand name will appear on the cockpit and nose of Williams' cars this weekend at the San Marino Grand Prix. It will also appear on the sleeves of the overalls worn by drivers' Juan Montoya and Ralf Schumacher.
The strategy for the sponsorship is to promote awareness of the NiQuitin brand in a sport that has traditionally been associated with pro-tobacco messages.
"We want to make giving up smoking using NiQuitin CQ more inspirational and exciting, and Formula One provides a perfect means to that end," said Mark Dickinson, marketing manager for NiQuitin.
"This is a perfect opportunity to inspire millions of smokers who have been bombarded with pro-tobacco messages through Formula One for decades."
The sponsorship is for one-year deal with an option to extend. Financial terms were not made public.
The deal comes as the European Union (EU) prepares to ban tobacco advertising in 2005.
"With the impending ban for tobacco sponsorship looming, it is highly apposite that a smoking cessation product is taking its place," said BMW WilliamsF1 Team Principal Frank Williams.
Williams dropped tobacco sponsorship three years ago. The team used to be sponsored by the Winfield and Rothmans brands.
FIA, the world governing body of motorsports, has been threatening to move F1 races out of Europe if the EU does not push back the impending ban on tobacco advertising.
Currently, five out of the teams competing in F1 rely on tobacco advertising - Ferrari, McLaren, Jordan, Renault and BAR.
Canadian driver Jacques Villeneuve drives for BAR, which is heavily sponsored by British American Tobacco.
with files from the Associated Press
