Franco Colapinto’s arrival is already having an impact at Williams
Officialized a few days ago at Williams, Franco Colapinto is not arriving alone. The Argentinian has enabled his new employer to sign new partnerships with two new sponsors. This should bolster the team's coffers.
A signing that should be good for the wallet. Franco Colapinto has been confirmed at Williams in place of Logan Sargeant following yet another accident in Zandvoort. The American has been involved in numerous track excursions and caused a lot of damage, which costs a lot of money.
To replace him, the Grove team called upon Franco Colapinto, a young talent from the team’s driver academy. But his arrival at Williams triggered a rather positive phenomenon for the team. In two days, two new sponsors signed up with the team.
Two renowned companies in Latin America.
The two partners share a common point. They are located in Argentina, the home country of the new pilot. Before the first tests in Monza, it was announced that Globant was the new sponsor. Then, the next day, it was the turn of Mercado Libre.
With over 100 million users across 18 Latin American countries, Mercado Libre was named among the 100 most influential companies last year by Time magazine,” Williams explains in a statement.
These two almost simultaneous signatures will allow to increase the budget of the team, which is one of the smallest in the championship. The visual identity of these two entities has not yet been set on the cars of Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto. Williams has indicated that it will be done as soon as in Azerbaijan.
42 years after Carlos Reutemann
Franco Colapinto’s arrival is also a nod to Formula 1 history, especially that of Williams. By trusting the Argentine driver, it harks back to the 1970s and 1980s when another driver from the same country was behind the wheel of the cars partly named with the FW initials of its founder.
We are the team that gave the last victory in F1 to an Argentinian, with Carlos Reutemann. We are writing a new chapter here with Franco. We are proud to expand our bonds with a country and a region so passionate about sports, highlights James Vowles, team principal.
The native of Sante Fe had won three Grand Prix with Frank Williams’ single-seaters between 1980 and 1982.
Will Franco Colapinto be able to replicate such a feat more than 40 years later?
