Williams will sport a “heritage-inspired” yellow engine cover in collaboration with commercial partner Mercado Libre at the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Mercado Libre, founded in Argentina partnered with Williams in August following Franco Colapinto’s debut at the Italian Grand Prix.
The E-Commerce and Digital Payments giant has more than 100 million users across 18 Latin American countries.
To celebrate the partnership in Mexico, Mercardo’s branding will sprawl across the engine cover of the Williams FW46 – bringing yellow to this feature of the team’s car for the first time since Alain Prost’s 1993 dominant title win.
Yellow featured on Williams engine covers throughout its prosperous years in the 80s and 90s, which saw titles won by Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell prior to Prost’s 93 success.
Celebrating the partnership further, yellow will adorn Alex Albon’s and Colapinto’s race suits and the latter will star in a television commercial to promote it further.
“Williams Racing and Mercado Libre are two brands synonymous with speed, trust and innovation, and this eye-catching engine cover is the perfect way to celebrate our partnership,” said Williams’ Commercial Director James Bower.
“Yellow livery designs hold a special place in Williams’ storied history and it is great to see the colour return to our cars with one of Latin America’s leading technology companies.”
Juan Lavista, Marketing Vice President at Mercado Libre added, “We are honoured to bring the yellow back to Williams, starring Mercado Libre’s iconic handshake logo on the racing car and drivers’ race suits for the Latin American GPs.
“The partnership with Williams resonates with our shared passion for speed and innovation.
“By connecting the thrill of racing with our commitment to fast and reliable shipping, we aim to create meaningful connections with millions of fans and users around the globe.”
Franco Colapinto paying tribute to Williams F1 legend at Mexico City GP
Colapinto will be celebrating Latin America further this weekend with a tribute helmet to F1 legend Carlos Reutemann.
A fellow Argentine, Reutemann spent some of his best years at Williams, narrowly missing out on the F1 Drivers’ title in 1981.
He won 12 GPs across 146 starts.
To mark his first F1 races in Latin America, Colapinto’s helmet will reflect Reutemann’s design, which nods to the colours of Argentina’s flag.
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