After the complaint by leading doctors the Ferrari barcode was ‘subliminal advertising’, Ferrari have decided to remove the Marlboro barcode from their cars for the Spanish Grand Prix onwards.

A Ferrari statement read:

‘Together with Philip Morris International we have decided to modify the livery of our cars starting with the Barcelona Grand Prix.’

This decision was taken in order to remove all speculation concerning the so-called ‘bar code’ which was never intended to be a reference to a tobacco brand.

By this we want to put an end to this ridiculous story and concentrate on more important things than on such groundless allegations.’

What do you think of the new Ferrari livery? Were they right to remove the Marlboro barcode? Leave a comment!

“The years we were together with BMW and Sauber, we benefited from the lubricant business; for next year, we have no team and the only reason for us to go back into F1 is on a business deal for the lubricant business.”

…the Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas have announced they will be continuing as the title sponsor of the new Mercedes GP works team.

Founded in 1974, PETRONAS or ‘Petroliam Nasional Berhad’ is Malaysia’s national oil and gas company. With global operations in over 30 countries, PETRONAS posted a net profit of 15.3 billion US dollars from a turnover of 77 billion US dollars in fiscal year 2008/2009 (ending 31 March 2009).

Petronas have previously backed Sauber and BMW Sauber, and will continue to be the title sponsor of the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix, scheduled to be the third race of the new season, which will take place at the Sepang International Circuit on 4 April 2010.

Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug said:

“We are very pleased to begin our long-term partnership with our new title partner PETRONAS. Daimler, our premium brand Mercedes-Benz and PETRONAS will work together both on and off the track and I am sure that everybody involved will guarantee their absolute dedication to success. PETRONAS’ home base in Kuala Lumpur is located in the middle of a fast-growing region for the automotive industry which makes this new partnership even more valuable. Within the limits of the new Formula One resource restrictions, the Mercedes GP PETRONAS Formula One Team will be well positioned to achieve our goals. We will all strive to present efficient success in the future knowing at the same time that the new Formula One season with some fundamental rule changes will be a particularly challenging one.”

And Mercedes GP team boss Ross Brawn said:

“Everyone at Mercedes GP is delighted to confirm our long-term agreement with PETRONAS and we look forward to working closely with our new partner in the future. The collaboration of the premium automotive brand Mercedes-Benz and a company as prestigious as PETRONAS gives our team a fantastic base from which to achieve our ambitions of competing at the top level of Formula One and building on the success of 2009 which saw the team achieve the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships. Our plans for the new season are progressing well, as is the development of our 2010 challenger, and we look forward to seeing the car run in the new Silver Arrows and PETRONAS livery at the Valencia test in February.”

The concept images of the Mercedes GP 2010 car published in the media section of the Brawn GP website are below.

Brawn GP have signed a one race sponsor for the finale of the 2009 season in Abu Dhabi next weekend with Qatar Telecom (Qtel). Their sponsorship of the new World Champions Brawn GP will see the Qtel branding on the rear wing, chassis and cockpit sides of the Brawn-Mercedes cars of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello throughout the weekend.

Brawn team principal Ross Brawn said:

“We are delighted to be partnering with Qatar Telecom this weekend as Formula One returns to the Gulf for the final race of the 2009 season. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is set to be a fantastic end to what has been a very exciting season of racing with a very impressive new venue at the Yas Marina Circuit. With both World Championships secured, Brawn GP will be looking for a good result in Abu Dhabi to round off the season and we look forward to welcoming our new partners at Qatar Telecom to the team over the weekend.”

Dr Nasser Marafih, CEO, Qtel, said:

“Qtels profile is increasing across the Gulf region and our ambitious agreement with the new World Champions Brawn GP is the ideal partnership to drive awareness of our brand to a new level. Qtel is proud to be associated with this fantastically successful team and we plan to use our sponsorship to reach out to a global audience of millions who will be watching the final race of the season take place in Abu Dhabi this weekend.”