By Gary S. Vasilash

Cigarette advertising was banned from Formula One at the end of 2006. The Marlboro liveries that had become so visible on the circuit were to be no more.

But it is not like the companies that are purveyors of products like cigarettes aren’t interested in reaching about 1.5-billion F1 viewers (as in TV, not in the stands) per year.

So BAT, which describes itself as “a leading, multi-category consumer goods business” that has as its purpose “create A Better Tomorrow by Building a Smokeless World” has announced through its Vuse brand that the livery for the McLaren Formula 1 team for the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix will be created by a Japanese artist named MILTZ and sponsored by BAT.

BAT was once known as “British American Tobacco.” Among its cigarette offerings are Lucky Strike, Dunhill and Kool. Vuse is a vape product, part of the company’s portfolio that also includes the “Heated Product brand glo; and Velo our Modern Oral (nicotine pouch) brand.”

BAT reports that the “non-combustible products”—a.k.a., things that aren’t cigarettes—provided 16.5% of its 2023 revenue and it is working to bring that number up to 50% by 2035.

Presumably by doing things like painting F1 cars.