Renault rubbishes tobacco link to new livery
The new Renault colour scheme ... smoke without fire? © Sutton Images
Renault has dismissed suggestions its new livery, a throwback to the colour scheme when Lotus was sponsored by the Imperial Tobacco label John Player Special, risks breaching laws banning tobacco advertising.
A spokesperson for the Canadian government recently said inspectors would look into whether the livery violated the Tobacco Act when the F1 roadshow arrives in Montreal this year. An Imperial Tobacco spokesperson confirmed: "It is categorically against the law to present any likeness to a cigarette pack."
But Renault team owner Gerard Lopez hit back by saying the new black-and-gold livery has no connection with tobacco. "Number one, we have no relationship with a tobacco company," he told the Independent. "Even if we had, there is another famous team racing around in a colour that is very close to a cigarette manufacturer," a reference to the controversial Marlboro-sponsored Ferrari schematic.
"For sure there is no interest in promoting anybody's brand. If someone has a problem with that, they essentially have a problem with a non-issue."
Credit: ESPN F1 (espn.com)
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