Controversy at Alpine: Colapinto received an internal fine for overtaking Gasly in Austin

The Austin Grand Prix brought more than just sporting results for the Alpine team. During the final laps, Franco Colapinto executed a maneuver that sparked internal controversy by overtaking his teammate Pierre Gasly, even though the team's engineers had requested that positions be maintained.

The overtaking, which took place on the penultimate lap, not only altered the finishing order but also prompted an immediate reaction from the management of the French team, which decided to sanction the Argentine driver with an internal fine of 100,000 euros, according to Bardeo.News.

However, weeks later, an unexpected detail emerged: Colapinto did not pay the fine out of his own pocket. According to the same source, MercadoLibre's founder, Marcos Galperín, stepped in to cover the sanction. The Argentine businessman, whose group is one of Alpine's main sponsors, apparently saw a valuable advertising opportunity in the incident.

The overtaking, widely broadcast on international transmissions, prominently displayed the MercadoLibre logo on both single-seaters, which resulted in global visibility for the brand. For that reason, Galperín reportedly decided to assume the cost of the penalty in recognition of the media impact achieved.