Heineken deal leads to fresh pleas to end alcohol sponsorship

Heineken's recently announced sponsorship deal with Formula One had led to fresh calls for alcohol sponsorship to be banned.

European Alcohol Policy Alliance - Eurocare called upon the European commission to bring in stronger legislation against the sponsorship.

"F1 should ask themselves if they want to be a motorsport or an alcohol brand event," Eurocare general secretary Mariann Skar said in a statement. "If both the sport and the drinks producers want to be seen as responsible industries, they should stop this deal and move away from alcohol sponsorship in F1."

The move comes roughly 10 years after cigarette sponsorship disappeared from Formula One after European legislation outlawed it.

Eurocare also sent a letter to FIA president and UN special envoy to road safety Jean Todt, drawing parallels between alcohol and cigarette sponsorship.

"We would like to request that you take this issue seriously and consider moving away from these sponsorship agreements, as you did with tobacco sponsorship," it read.

"We would like to remind you that drink driving is one of the key killers on the road. It is therefore worrying that F1 is now bringing the link between alcohol brands and motor sport even closer together."