Alpine driver Franco Colapinto has struck a personal sponsorship deal with Claro, a key partner of former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.
It comes as the Argentine bids to secure his future in F1 amid rumours that Alpine could make a move for Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas.
Franco Colapinto snaps up key Sergio Perez sponsor
After an impressive nine-race cameo with the Williams team in the second half of last season, Colapinto joined Alpine in an initial reserve role for the F1 2025 campaign.
The 21-year-old secured a return to a race seat following the Miami Grand Prix in May as he replaced Jack Doohan as Pierre Gasly’s team-mate, with Colapinto handed a five-race deal to begin with.
As reported by PlanetF1.com last week, Colapinto is set to remain with Alpine on a race-by-race deal after his initial contract expired following the recent Austrian Grand Prix, allowing the team to keep its options open.
Franco Colapinto vs Pierre Gasly: Alpine head-to-head scores for F1 2025
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
PlanetF1.com understands that Alpine has made contact with Bottas, the 10-time race winner, over a potential move to Enstone, although it is believed that talks are not yet serious.
Bottas has been open about his determination to return to an F1 seat in the near future, with the Mercedes reserve dropping a hint last week that he could join the brand-new Cadillac team for F1 2026.
In a boost to his hopes of retaining his Alpine seat, Colapinto has confirmed a personal sponsorship agreement with Claro, the telecommunications company under the umbrella of Carlos Slim-owned América Móvil.
Claro has been closely associated with Perez, who was left without a seat for the F1 2025 season following his departure from Red Bull last December, since the Mexican driver made his debut with the Sauber team in 2011.
The deal will see Claro branding appear on Colapinto’s crash helmet and cap.
Colapinto said: “I am happy to have partnered with Claro – América Móvil – and to enjoy their support this year.
“Claro’s dedication to connectivity and innovation mirrors everything we push for on track: precision, speed, and seamless performance.
“I’m proud to unite our brands and bring a bit of that Latin America to every grand prix.”
Julio Porras Zadik, the chief executive of Claro Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, added: “We have been present in this sport for several years and now we return together with BWT Alpine Formula One Team.
“We are very excited to support Franco at this key moment.”
More on Franco Colapinto and Alpine from PlanetF1.com
The deal with Claro comes after Mr Slim left the door open to a potential deal with Colapinto last year, insisting that any arrangement would have no impact on the company’s relationship with Perez.
Mr Slim said in October 2024: “We have been with many drivers many times.
“We were with Bruno Senna, we were with Pietro Fittipaldi and we were with the two Mexican drivers, with Checo [Perez] and with Esteban [Gutierrez].
“If there was an opportunity to talk about something with Franco, it would not be anything related to Checo.
“We always seek to support Latin American drivers. Franco is doing very well.
“But without a doubt our important project has always been to continue building the development of Mexican drivers and Checo, without a doubt, is the one who represents us all.”
Like Bottas, Perez, now 35, has been strongly linked with an F1 2026 comeback after losing his place on the grid at the end of last season.
A report in April claimed that Perez was in ‘advanced talks’ with Cadillac F1 over one of the team’s seats for 2026.
Perez has also been linked with Alpine, potentially as a replacement for Colapinto, for next season.
PlanetF1.com understands that Perez is not under consideration to replace Colapinto during the current campaign.
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