Ferrari and Philip Morris land in trouble ahead of F1 2019 season

The 2019 F1 season is almost upon us and things have started to take shape with respect to car launches.

Haas have already launched their 2019 challenger, with a Lotus-like livery. All other teams will be releasing their cars in the next week, just before the all important winter testing in Barcelona.

Ferrari will be releasing their car on the 13th of February. Now, even before their car has been launched, they have run into trouble with the authorities.

Australian authorities have opened an investigation into Ferrari’s ‘Mission Winnow’ branding.

F1 season hasn‘t even started and Ferrari is under investigations because of their Mission Winnow branding 😅

— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) February 8, 2019

The Philip Morris brand is on the Ferrari car with years in different guises (I’m not in favour of it btw) but funny how since 2017 it’s only became an issue in the media 🤔 #F1

— 🇮🇪 PitWall Express 🇮🇪 (@wall_pit) February 8, 2019

The Australian authorties have voiced concern over how the logo doesn’t really advertise any particular product and is a little too close to the famous ‘Marlboro’ logo.

The ‘Mission Winnow’ branding that came into being during the Japanese GP last season has raised quite a few eye brows.

F1 loyalists feel that Ferrari are trying to play with the grey area of ‘cigarette branding’. Rules need to be a little more clearer in order to completely avoid tobacco marketing.

Cigarette branding in F1 has seen a decline since 2007, with Ferrari doing away with the Marlboro branding in 2011.

‘Mission Winnow’ however is Philip Morris’ way of promoting ‘smoke free alternatives’, but the overall branding does remind people of the famous Marlboro brand, and hence the Australian authorities want Ferrari to remove it altogether.

“Philip Morris Australia’s parent company, Philip Morris International and Scuderia Ferrari have a global partnership, which is wholly managed outside of Australia.” a Philip Morris spokesperson has said.