racingnews365.com·
Franco Colapinto's main sponsor disappears at Alpine
Mercado Libre, one of Franco Colapinto's main sponsors which has
played a key role in the driver's F1 career in recent years, has
disappeared from Alpine's sponsorship portfolio. Although Alpine
has extended the Argentine driver's contract until 2026, this
year's A526 race car was unveiled without the e-commerce giant's
logo. The company, which remains in close alliance with Colapinto,
is not listed among the team's partners on its website, and its
disappearance is surprising and raises questions. When Alpine
renewed Colapinto's contract, all signs pointed to a guaranteed
continuation between the team and the company that strongly
supports the driver. The importance of the partnership was also
illustrated by the fact that the team dressed its race car in
special colours on three occasions last year: at the US Grand Prix,
the Mexican Grand Prix, and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Regarding
Mercado Libre's disappearance, sources have informed RacingNews365
that the Argentine company is currently rethinking its partnerships
and its entire F1 presence. The company has changed its strategy
and is working on diversifying its sponsorship activities to
increase its visibility in Latin American regions outside
Argentina. In line with this, they are no longer focusing
exclusively on one driver, and the first signs of this are already
visible. On January 19, the company's Brazilian subsidiary,
operating under the name Mercado Livre, announced that it would be
joining Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto as a sponsor. The Mercado
Libre logo also appeared on the helmet of Sergio Perez, who is
returning with Cadillac, at the Barcelona test. The Mexican driver
already featured the company on his non-final helmet design for the
test period, and according to our information, the announcement of
the agreement could come in a matter of days. Alpine partnership
still possible RacingNews365 understands that a continuation
between the company and Alpine is still possible. Behind the
scenes, negotiations are slowly but surely underway for Mercado
Libre to remain a partner of the team, which will now be powered by
Mercedes and, based on the Barcelona shakedown, is looking at a
much better season than last year. It is not yet known when an
agreement will be reached, but it is clear that the issue is
becoming increasingly pressing in Argentina. Since Colapinto made
his debut in F1, it has become very clear just how passionately
Argentinians support their local driver and the sport itself. Fans
are present in large numbers all over the world, and the Argentine
soccer jersey has become an indispensable accessory at F1 grand
prix races - so it is not surprising that the situation surrounding
the driver's main sponsor and team is causing serious concern among
Argentine fanatics. The Latin American country's press and social
media have been in turmoil over the issue for days: fans fear that
the current situation could adversely affect their favourite
driver, just when the team needs stability as it targets progress
up the grid.
