Grand Prix team kicks the habit with sponsor

Two years before Formula One has to wean itself off its traditional dependence on tobacco advertising, a motor racing team has come up with a novel way of recouping the lost revenue.

From this weekend's San Marino Grand Prix, BMW Williams cars will be emblazoned with the name of NiQuitin QC, an anti-smoking product, after a deal announced yesterday with the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. The unexpected partnership has put cancer charities in the unusual position of praising Formula One for its choice of sponsors.

Sir Paul Nurse, of Cancer Research UK, said: "What especially pleases me is that this sponsorship breaks the stranglehold the tobacco industry has had over Formula One for more years than I care to remember."