F1 News: Weeks After Snatching Mercedes’ “Iconic” Sponsor, McLaren Takes Away Carlos Sainz’s $318 MN Ally

Formula 1 has become much more than building fast cars and pitting them against each other on various tracks. With increasing popularity and fans, comes money in tens of thousands of millions of dollars. This is exactly why the teams are not just battling it out on the track, but off of it as well in a completely new way. In the past few weeks, McLaren beat Mercedes in a battle and now the Papaya team has snatched an old ally from their old driver, Carlo Sainz.

We know a team battling it out with another team and a driver at the same time doesn’t make sense. However, this is a sign of the times. Now each cog of the Formula 1 machine holds value. Everyone has a commercial number attached to them and it is all cashable if you play your cards right. Clearly, McLaren played their cards right and got the upper hand in this battle against Mercedes and the Ferrari man, Sainz.

McLaren lures an old $318 million ally of Carlos Sainz to their side

McLaren changed the perspective of many after the 2023 British GP, where the team’s upgrade put them right up there in the thick of things. This scenario earned them a lot of respect in the world of F1 which translated into credibility among investors as well. McLaren has been capitalizing on it by attracting sponsors and Sainz was caught in the crossfire.

After poaching an “iconic” brand, in the words of Zak Brown, away from Mercedes, the Papaya team did it again with Sainz’s old ally Estrella Galicia 0,0. The Spanish beer brand is back on board with the Woking outfit again after signing a multi-year sponsorship deal. The $318 million beer brand was being patriotic by following Sainz wherever he went in the world of F1.

However, keeping business first, they chose to partner with McLaren again for their second stint after the 2019-20 deal.

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This is exactly how they poached Monster Energy away from Mercedes as well. Moreover, their deal with the energy drinks company showcases how companies are associating value in the sport currently.

The half-parting of Monster Energy showcases the power balance in the world of F1

Monster Energy made a massive decision by leaving Mercedes after 14 long years and joining hands with McLaren. The energy drink giants signed a multi-year deal with the Woking outfit and will be a sponsor for the team and will feature on the car and the overalls from the 2024 season onwards.

However, Monster has not cut ties with Lewis Hamilton, only Mercedes. The energy drink company still values the seven-time world champion, it’s just their perspective of his team that has changed, perhaps something to do with their performance in the last two seasons. This scenario showcases how the sponsorship market perceives every entity individually and how it influences investment.

Chairman, and Co-CEO, of Monster Energy Company Rodney Sacks’s statement also echoed this perception of McLaren. He said, “Monster is focused on enhancing fan experiences and partnering with a world-class team and its elite drivers to share our passion with F1’s global audience.”

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We already know Formula 1 is also a game of money and even the teams that are not the most successful, if they show promise of a bright future, can attract investors. It will be interesting to see how the teams develop and how close they get in the future with such huge amounts of investments with McLaren already reaping the benefits already by signing two new sponsors.