In a controversial move sure to anger the local residents, the FIA have today issued a directive that all Camels must be removed from the vicinity of the Bahrain circuit whilst television broadcasts are underway.
The instruction - which met with the reluctant agreement of the circuit directors - comes as a result of the ongoing laws covering tobacco advertising.
Research carried out by advertising watch-dogs has discovered that the sight of a Camel - an animal that, unusually, has a brand of tobacco ("Camel") named after it - inspires people to take up smoking, and hence is considered illegal advertising under UK laws.
Camel - the tobacco brand, not the animal - famously sponsored such teams as Benetton and Tyrrell prior to the all-encompassing ban on tobacco advertising.
It is understood that the hump-backed animals will be routinely rounded up each morning, and enclosed in a desert compound out of sight of the TV cameras.
A spokesman for the tobacco industry poured scorn on claims that smoking is as damaging as many insist.
"It's nonsense" commented Mr J Sheppard "to claim that smoking is as damaging as many insist."
The organisers are concerned that the lack of Camels will lead to what is generally a boring and under-attended race being even less interesting than normal.
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