Colapinto 6th, Checo retires, and Bortoleto near the points: the 2026 Canadian GP
By: WEEX|2026/05/28 09:15:00
0
Share
For the first time in modern Formula 1 history, three Latin American drivers raced on the same grid, sponsored by the same regional company. In Montreal, we experienced one of the most emotional weekends of the year for the region.
The Gilles Villeneuve Circuit in Montreal was, on May 25, 2026, the stage for something unlikely to be repeated for a long time: three Latin American drivers (the Argentine Franco Colapinto, the Mexican Sergio "Checo" Pérez, and the Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto) competed on the same Formula 1 grid, with the Mercado Libre logo on their cars. An image that was unimaginable just two years ago, and which this Canadian weekend turned into one of the most emotional moments the region has ever experienced in the history of the category.
And the results lived up to the emotion.
What happened in Canada: the weekend of the three Latinos
The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix will remain in the memory of all of Latin America for multiple reasons. Let's review what each of the three drivers sponsored by Mercado Libre experienced:
Franco Colapinto: Historic 6th place
Colapinto closed out a great weekend in Montreal and took 6th place, achieving his best personal result in an F1 Grand Prix. It is the best performance by an Argentine in more than 40 years, since Carlos Reutemann finished 2nd in the South African GP in 1982.
The weekend began with obstacles: Colapinto could not participate in Friday's practice due to an electrical failure in his Alpine A526. However, far from collapsing, he moved up from 13th on the grid to 9th in the Sprint race, his best result in a competition of this nature in Formula 1.
In the main race, he qualified 10th, reaching Q3 for the fifth time in his career, and on Sunday he displayed a masterclass in tire management. When he exited the pits, he grazed the wall—"I stepped on a bit of water and went off"—but he suffered no serious damage and maintained a consistent performance to cross the finish line in a historic 6th place. His teammate Pierre Gasly moved up from 14th to finish 8th, leaving Alpine with 12 points and consolidating the team in 5th place in the Constructors' Championship.
Sergio "Checo" Pérez: Retirement with good sensations
Checo Pérez experienced his first retirement of the season after starting from 20th position and heading for a comeback with a close duel with his former teammate Esteban Ocon (Haas). The collapse of his Cadillac's front right suspension while attempting to enter the pits left him out of the race, losing an opportunity to achieve his best result of the year, although he left good sensations due to his pace throughout the weekend.
In the Sprint, he had shown his best level of the season with Cadillac, demonstrating that the 36-year-old Mexican driver still has a lot to give in the category.
Gabriel Bortoleto: Very close to scoring points
The 21-year-old Brazilian, 2024 Formula 2 champion and one of the brightest prospects of the generation, completed his weekend in Montreal very close to the points zone, with a solid 13th place, consolidating a debut season that surprised more than one in the paddock.
The race itself was won by Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), with his fourth consecutive victory of the season in a chaotic race marked by George Russell's retirement, while Lewis Hamilton finished second and Max Verstappen third.
The "Scooter GP" phenomenon: when Mercado Libre brought the three together in a historic campaign
Five days before the Canadian GP, on May 20, Mercado Libre launched something no Latin American company had done before in the history of Formula 1. Mercado Libre presented "Scooter GP", its new regional campaign starring Franco Colapinto, Checo Pérez, and Gabriel Bortoleto, bringing together for the first time the three Latin American drivers currently racing in F1, all sponsored by the company, in a spot that highlights the ambition of regional talent to compete and stand out globally.
Sean Summers, EVP and CMO of Mercado Libre, expressed it clearly: "Having three drivers competing with the Latin American jersey in Formula 1 is more than a sporting event. It is a cultural phenomenon that unites millions of people around the same feeling of pride."
The company explained its regional logic: "We were also born in Latin America, and that is why we aim to support Latin American talent that stands out on global stages, representing our region."
The sponsorship of the three drivers has a story worth telling. Mercado Libre renewed its partnership with BWT Alpine Formula One Team in the lead-up to the 2026 Australian GP, consolidating its presence in the category and its support for the Argentine driver Franco Colapinto, with a relationship based on shared values such as innovation, technology, precision, and continuous improvement. In this way, the Argentine company ensured it would sponsor the three Latin American drivers on the grid this year.
Latin America in Formula 1: Much more than sport
To understand why this phenomenon resonates so strongly in the region, one must look at the economic and cultural context from which these three drivers and their fans come.
Latin America is a region where sport has always functioned as a vector of identity and collective pride, precisely because daily economic reality is marked by instability. Venezuela maintains one of the highest inflation rates in the world, with estimates close to 650% annually according to Professor Steve Hanke of Johns Hopkins University. Argentina went through inflation that exceeded 211% in 2024 and still lives with the devaluation of the peso. Mexico faces exchange rate pressures on the peso and an economy dependent on remittances that exceeded $63 billion in 2024.
In that context of structural economic pressure, seeing a driver from Pilar competing in F1 on the same weekend as a Mexican icon and a Brazilian prospect is not just sports news. It is a reminder that Latin American talent can reach the highest stages in the world. And Mercado Libre, by leveraging that sentiment with its "Scooter GP" campaign, showed it understands better than anyone the emotional value of what is happening.
The same region that adopted cryptocurrencies massively because it needed them to protect itself from inflation (Latin America registered 63% growth in crypto adoption during 2025, according to Chainalysis) is the same one that stands in front of the screen at 2 in the morning to see if Colapinto scores points. It is the same region that completed more than 44 million Panini World Cup albums. It is the same region that builds collective identities with what it has, when it has it.
Crypto, F1, and the Latin American investor: a connection that makes sense
There is a connection that is not so obvious but deserves to be mentioned: the same Latin American community that follows F1 with growing passion is, in many cases, the same one that operates in crypto markets and seeks financial tools to protect its wealth from inflation.
At that intersection is where WEEX appears as a reference. The platform, which has spent years consolidating its presence in Latin America with an approach that combines institutional security, real liquidity in more than 300 trading pairs, and educational resources in Spanish, understands that the Latin American user is not a single profile: it is a soccer and F1 fan who at the same time manages their savings in USDT, a trader who follows Colapinto and also monitors the Bitcoin price, a citizen who needs real financial tools to navigate complex economies.
The same impulse that led Mercado Libre to bet on three Latin American drivers in F1 (the conviction that regional talent deserves a global platform) is what guides WEEX in its proposal for the region's crypto community: real access, quality information, and a platform that treats the Latin American user as what they are, a sophisticated actor in a market that never stops growing.
To build a solid financial strategy that accompanies both moments of euphoria and market volatility, we recommend these resources from the WEEX Wiki:
- 📖 Compound interest in the crypto environment?: How to make your crypto capital work sustainably over time, taking advantage of compound yield mechanisms available in the DeFi ecosystem and on platforms like WEEX.
- 📖 Geopolitics and Cryptocurrencies: What is driving adoption in Latam: The definitive analysis of the economic, political, and cultural factors that are accelerating the use of digital assets throughout Latin America, from Venezuela to Brazil.
What's next: Monaco and the season that never stops surprising
The 2026 Formula 1 season promised to be different with the new technical regulations, and it is delivering. The next stop is the Monaco Grand Prix, one of the most iconic circuits in the world and, historically, a track that does not favor comebacks but does reward surgical precision at the wheel (exactly the qualities that Colapinto is showing race by race).
Antonelli continues to dominate the championship with his fourth consecutive victory. Mercedes leads the Constructors' Championship with 194 points. And Colapinto, with his best personal result, sends a clear message to the paddock: the Latin Americans did not come to fill the grid. They came to compete.
Conclusion: three drivers, one region, a historic moment
The 2026 Canadian GP was much more than a Formula 1 race. It was the crystallization of a phenomenon that took years to build: three Latin American drivers, from three different countries, competing at the highest level of world motorsport, with the backing of a company born in the region that decided to bet everything on its own talent. Colapinto's 6th place (the best result for an Argentine in F1 since 1982), Checo Pérez's spirited retirement, and Bortoleto's solidity near the points zone are not separate anecdotes. They are chapters of the same story: Latin America has arrived in Formula 1 to stay. And just as the region adopted cryptocurrencies because it needed them to survive hostile economies, it adopted F1 because it found in it a mirror of its own aspirations. Talent has no passport, and neither does regional pride. Following these three drivers race by race, and at the same time building a solid financial strategy for the future, is exactly what an ecosystem like the one WEEX offers allows: access, information, and tools for the Latin American who wants to go far on all fronts. Register at WEEX today to start your crypto experience on the right foot.
Disclaimer
WEEX and its affiliates provide digital asset exchange services, including contract trading and margin trading, only where it is legal to do so and for eligible users. All content is general information and does not constitute financial advice. You should seek financial advice before trading. Cryptocurrency trading is a high-risk activity and can lead to the total loss of your assets. By using WEEX services, you accept all related risks and terms. Never invest more than you can afford to lose. Consult our Terms of Use and our Legal Statement for full details.
Customer Support:@weikecs
Business Cooperation:@weikecs
Quant Trading & MM:bd@weex.com
VIP Program:support@weex.com
