'Tobacco money will be hard to replace'

Formula One champions Renault expect smaller backers to fill the financial hole left by title sponsor Mild Seven when the cigarette brand leaves them at the end of the year.

Japan Tobacco confirmed in a statement that 2006 would be their final year in the sport after backing Benetton and then Renault since 1994.

"The departure of cigarettes in 2007 is not easy to replace," Renault F1 president Patrick Faure said.

"They were really paying a good part of the budget. I don't see easily one sponsor replacing them."

Faure said the team was now in talks with companies who had previously been unwilling to enter F1 while cigarettes were present. There was also interest from new markets.

"We are in discussion with Chinese people, you have Indians coming, you have a lot of new countries where companies are big," he said.

"Basically, it's going to be very difficult to replace Mild Seven, but it's not impossible if we can show good results."

F1 is slowly kicking the tobacco habit that has funded racing for decades. McLaren have ended their association with West cigarettes while the new Honda team, formerly British American Tobacco owned BAR, will part with main sponsors Lucky Strike at the end of the year.

Ferrari are the exception, renewing their deal with Philip Morris to 2011 despite EU legislation banning all print and broadcast advertising and event sponsorship within the EU by tobacco companies.

Red Bull under fire

Renault's Flavio Briatore has accused Red Bull of betraying other Michelin-shod teams by voting for a return to tyre changes during races.

The team boss blamed Ferrari-powered Red Bull for tipping the balance in a vote last year that led to the scrapping of a rule forcing drivers to use the same tyres for qualifying and the race.

The tyre changes, and a three part knockout qualifying format, are two major modifications to grands prix weekends in the new season starting in Bahrain on March 12.

"We accept to change the rules about the qualifying to support everybody," Briatore said.

"However, we thought it was good to have one tyre for the race. But somebody betrayed us from within the Michelin family.

"Red Bull voted against us, it was completely mad."