The new sponsorship deal is the latest in a string of partner announcements from Alpine.

Yesterday, it announced MSC Cruises had signed on as a premium partner and last week Oakberry (a superfood brand) and Arctic Wolf (cybersecurity) joined forces with the Enstone operation.

Alpine will this year field Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan as its race drivers and boasts a bevy of reserve drivers at its disposal, headlined by ex-Williams racer Franco Colapinto.

The Argentine has captured headlines since his arrival at Alpine with suggestions he’ll replace Doohan in the race drive.

The team has given Doohan its full support.

However, the signing of Mercado Libre has done little to quell the speculation with the new sponsor founded in Colapinto’s native Argentina.

Mercado Libre was named as an official partner at Williams shortly after the Argentine driver’s promotion to the race drive in place of Logan Sargeant last season.

‘We are excited to welcome Mercado Libre to the Alpine Formula 1 family,” said team principal Oliver Oakes of the new deal.

“Their commitment to speed and high performance aligns perfectly with the team’s values and those in Formula 1.

“This partnership also strengthens our connection with our passionate Latin American fan base, and we look forward to achieving great things together on and off the track.”

The announcement came as Doohan and Gasly fronted the media ahead of the F1 75 Live season launch in London.

There, Doohan dismissed questions regarding the pressure Colapinto’s arrival applied, or that his position had been undermined.

The 2025 F1 season gets on track with three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain from next Wednesday.

It will then head to Melbourne for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 13-16.