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Tobacco ban smoking up Formula 1

With all the talk about the fiasco at the U.S. Grand Prix last month, the threat of a breakaway series and the debate over new rules, a critical epoch-changing story has gone largely unnoticed in Formula One: Over the next few races the sport is entering into the last gasps of a nearly 40-year long nicotine habit. The foundation upon which the multibillion-dollar sport was built - after the Gold Leaf cigarette brand became its first tobacco sponsor, with the Lotus team in 1968 - will start to crumble after July 31, when a European Union ban on tobacco sponsorship comes into effect.

Half of the 10 teams, including the top three, still have tobacco sponsors. But that number will shrink when the West tobacco brand, which sponsors the McLaren-Mercedes team, leaves the sport after the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim on Sunday, although its logo will be on the cars during practice in Hungary the following before the last European race of the season.

Not yet ready to face the withdrawal symptoms, the remaining minority of tobacco teams nevertheless hope to keep on smoking outside Europe after the ban goes into effect the day after the Hungarian Grand Prix. But even that depends on an interpretation of a British anti-tobacco law that also goes into effect on July 31, making things even more difficult for the three British-based teams.