Ferrari recently lost a major sponsor as beer company Estrella Galicia parted ways with them. However, soon after, Peroni, a brewer worth $121 million, joined them for the upcoming F1 season. Estrella Galicia left Ferrari to tie up with McLaren after staying for three seasons with the Maranello-based team. Estrella Galicia, owned by Hijos de Rivera, has been associated with Carlos Sainz for a long time.
They have been with the Spanish driver since his GP3 days in 2013. The Spanish company’s first F1 exposure came after Sainz managed to find himself debuting for Toro Rosso in 2015 alongside Max Verstappen.
From there on, the Spanish non-alcoholic beer company has always been with the Madrid man, changing team after team. After Toro Rosso, it was Renault in 2017, and then McLaren in 2019. When Sainz switched to Ferrari in 2021, Estrella Galicia also moved to the Italian team and stayed with them till 2023.
However, now Estrella Galicia decided to return to sponsor McLaren ahead of the 2024 F1 season. As for Ferrari, they did not have to worry much as they immediately found its replacement in the name of Peroni Nastro Azzurro, as per Decalspotters on X.
Peroni, an Italian non-alcoholic brand, was earlier associated with Aston Martin in F1 last season. They severed their ties with Fernando Alonso’s team to be with their national F1 team ahead of 2024 [Scuderia Ferrari holds the status of national team in Italy.]
Estrella Galicia has ditched Carlos Sainz to switch back to McLaren
After supporting Carlos Sainz for over a decade, Estrella Galicia finally moved away from a team that the Spaniard drove for. In doing so, they switched back to the team they earlier sponsored, McLaren. The reason? Zak Brown’s team’s sensational comeback against all odds.
This will be Sainz’s first year racing in Formula 1 without Spanish giant Estrella Galicia’s support. However, for the beer company, they preferred to look over it and focus on the business side. Given the fact that McLaren indeed promises to be a powerhouse again in the future, sponsors are investing heavily in the Papayas. Estrella Galicia was no different.
The Woking-based team started their 2023 F1 season in the worst possible way. Despite this, they managed to claim P4 at the end of the season. They had a stellar run last year as they grabbed nine podiums and a sprint win.
Therefore, the higher-ups at Estrella Galicia decided to be one of the 45 sponsors for the McLaren F1 team ahead of the next season. Their tally is the most on the grid, six more than champions Red Bull, who have 39. If Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri manage to excel in 2024, chances are that the number of McLaren’s sponsors can increase even further.
