BRUSSELS: In a bid to discourage young people from taking up smoking, European Union health commissioner Markos Kyprianou aims to completely stub out tobacco advertising and sponsorship of Formula One motor racing.

Tobacco advertising is currently permitted at only three of the seventeen global F1 tracks - Bahrain, China and Monaco - all of which the commissioner now wants brought into line.

In addition, he has called on the Ferrari race team to end its association with Marlboro cigarette-maker Philip Morris, from which it receives around $100 million (€73m; £49.5m) a year in sponsorship.

Ferrari is banned from using the Marlboro logos at most events but continues to run cars in the sponsor's colours at the three 'dissident' tracks.

Kyprianou says: "Formula 1 is a symbol". He adds: "We have to reduce tobacco advertising as much as possible so that we can eliminate the influence on young people."

Data sourced from M&M Europe; additional content by WARC staff