The sport has been told its deals - including Williams' sponsorship by Martini - contravene EU rules

Lewis Hamilton could be stripped of the traditional winner’s celebration of sprayed champagne as a podium ban on drink advertising in Formula One looms.

As the smallest teams in the sport fear for their financial futures, a key pressure group underwritten by the European Union and representing 57 public health organisations from 25 European countries demanded last night that F1 rips up sponsorship deals worth tens of millions of pounds.

A ban is only a step away, echoing the painful split between tobacco sponsors and F1, which was at the centre of a serious scandal.

Members of the European Alcohol Policy Alliance, known as Eurocare, were infuriated by extensive coverage of drinks brands during the Brazilian Grand Prix last weekend. Force India, Williams and McLaren