Ferrari F1 drop Mission Winnow title sponsorship, first step in cutting ties with Philip Morris

Scuderia Ferrari is all set to drop Mission Winnow as title sponsor for the 2022 F1 season. The team is still negotiating with Philip Morris International (PMI) with regards to continuing their partnership.

The Mission Winnow logo has appeared on Ferrari F1 cars for the past two seasons. Parent company PMI claims Mission Winnow is a "way of promoting new technologies," but it is still unclear what exactly the initiative is. The move was criticized in 2018 as a way to get tobacco sponsorship back into F1, which has been banned since 2006.

The official name of the Ferrari F1 team is now Scuderia Ferrari and not Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow. Team principal Mattia Binotto has confirmed that the team is still in talks with PMI and is looking at extending their partnership in the sport. He told The Race:

“They have been our title sponsor and if you look at the way that we subscribe our team to the next championship, it’s not called anymore Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow, but only Scuderia Ferrari. I think that’s quite straightforward as an answer. But still, there are many opportunities on which we may collaborate with them, keeping them as partners. We have various options on the table at the moment and we are still talking, and hopefully, that will remain as a strong partner, but it will take some more days and some more weeks.”

The team from Maranello has also brought Santander back on a multi-year deal, with the bank already having sponsored the team from 2010 to 2017. The bank logo will appear on all team merchandise, including race suits and caps.

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Ferrari finish P3 in championship, comfortably beat McLaren

The Italian constructor comfortably placed third in the 2021 constructors' championship, beating rivals McLaren by nearly 50 points at the end of the season. Consistent points finishes by Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, and a lack of the same by McLaren drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, helped the team from Maranello comfortably outscore the team from Woking.

Carlos Sainz won his fourth podium of the season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix amidst all the safety car chaos that occurred. The Spaniard finished fifth in the drivers' standings in his first season with Ferrari. The 27-year-old has also extended his record to a 14-race finishing streak, higher than anyone else on the grid.

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