(Telegraph) - Teams with strong sponsorship links to drinks companies could face seeing their backers legislated away in same fashion as tobacco firms.

The road-safety lobby is preparing a public-relations offensive against Formula One over its links with the alcohol industry, having successfully thwarted FIA president Jean Todt’s ambitions of a job at the United Nations.

In a move reminiscent of when anti-smoking groups forced tobacco sponsorship out of Formula One, European-wide charities are planning to take aim at the sport into the autumn.

And the charities have already shown their weight by scuppering Todt’s hopes of becoming a special representative for road safety at the UN.

It is understood that an alliance of road safety and anti-alcohol bodies have been given assurances by the UN that Todt will not be given such a high-profile role.

RoadPeace, a British charity, had previously written letters to Ban Ki Moon, the UN secretary-general, saying the move would be “absolutely wrong”, but it appears that their fears have been allayed.

 While the FIA have said Todt is “passionate about road safety”, seeing “no conflict of interest” in the 68-year-old taking up any post, the charities have been buoyed by UN’s apparent blocking of the appointment.

“We are delighted – it would have sent completely the wrong message,” an insider told The Daily Telegraph. The alliance of non-governmental organisations has become increasingly antagonised by the alcohol industry’s moves into road safety campaigning, and they see F1 as an easy target.

After his extensive work on the issue, Todt had received controversial backing from Qatar, who are hosting the FIA’s annual prize-giving gala at the end of this year. As reported earlier this month, the Frenchman had been nominated by Qatar’s foreign minister Khalid Bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, who personally wrote to Ban Ki Moon advocating Todt for the role.