Williams Welcomes Argentine Sponsor Mercado Libre as the Team Brings in Franco Colapinto

It has only been three days since Williams announced Franco Colapinto as the mid-season replacement for Logan Sargeant. The Argentine driver is yet to prove his worth on the track. However, his financial worth has already begun to reap benefits. That is because of the Argentine companies, who are lining up to present some lucrative sponsorship deals for the British team.

Williams announced the signing of a sponsorship deal with Globant, a Buenos Aires-headquartered software development company on Thursday. Globant has been one of Colapinto‘s sponsors since 2023 when he debuted in Formula 2. The team has now announced the signing of another Argentine sponsor — Mercado Libre, an e-commerce and digital payments giant.

Delighted to welcome the new partners, team boss James Vowles said, “It is fantastic to welcome Mercado Libre into Formula 1 as a partner with Williams Racing. Mercado Libre is one of the most important and trusted brands in Latin America, and their decision to partner with us is a demonstration of F1’s position as a truly global sport and Williams as an iconic international sporting franchise.”

Williams Racing today announces a new partnership with Latin American e-commerce and digital payments giant Mercado Libre.

Its iconic handshake logo will feature on the FW46 from next month’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) August 30, 2024

Vowles made a reference to Carlos Reutemann, the last Argentine driver in F1 to win a Grand Prix. Coincidentally, Reutemann bagged that victory while driving for Williams at the 1981 Belgian GP.

What Vowles did not mention was the Falklands War which led to Reutemann leaving Williams and retiring from F1 after just two races in 1982, owing to the tense political climate between Argentina and the UK.

Speaking earlier with Sky Sports F1, Vowles revealed how his phone was constantly ringing with calls from Argentine companies. While he rubbished the rumors of Colapinto being a ‘pay driver’, the team boss was glad to see potential sponsors wanting to buy the space to place their stickers on Williams’ F1 car.

As for Colapinto, he bagged most of his sponsors in 2023. Almost all of those companies are based in Argentina, barring Williams. The team took him under their wing in 2023 as well, when he entered F2 for a single race weekend in Abu Dhabi. His other sponsors include YPF, Cerveza Quilmes, FlyBondi, Ripio, BZRP, Visit Argentina, and Celulosa Argentina, as per Marcaenzona.