Mexico, Nov 11 (EFE).- The association of Carlos Sainz, Formula One driver, with Ferrari, has helped to expand the image of his main sponsor, the Estrella de Galicia brewery, in the Italian market, confirmed to Efe, David Fernández, marketing director of the Spanish company.
Coinciding with his good year in F1, Carlos Sainz’s drive for the Galician beer brand was noted in the return and strengthening of sales in markets such as Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates and China. And in Italy, with the Ferrari link. “We also increased sales in Italy, the home of Ferrari. The tifosi, the passionate fans of the team, like our beer; those who try it, tend to repeat it,” adds the marketing director of the Spanish brand.
Almost a decade after choosing the Spanish driver Carlos Sainz as one of the brand’s ambassadors, the beer producer assures that the relationship with the Formula 1 British Grand Prix champion is, above all, a matter of of family. “It’s a healthy relationship. Carlos’s grandfather was part of the construction of the La Coruña factory. Everything has happened naturally. We accompany him on this adventure and while he grows as a pilot, we do it as a beer brand in the world,” said David Fernandez.
At the age of 28, the man from Madrid is going through a moment of maturity as a Ferrari driver. This year he has his best season; In addition to winning at the Silverstone circuit, Sainz has three pole positions, three second places and four third places.
He reckons he can finish the season in the top five of the drivers’ standings and, alongside Monegasque Charles Lecerc, give Ferrari second place in the constructors’ championship. They are triumphs as a result of his talent, his hard work and also the support of sponsors.
“In 2013 they were the first to trust me, to support me in the categories lower than Formula 1 and then in all the teams I went through in Formula 1. There are few cases of a brand like Estrella helping drivers all their lives I owe them a large part of my sports career,” the runner acknowledged to EFE.
A couple of weeks ago, coinciding with the Mexican Grand Prix, Estrella de Galicia confirmed its commitment to Sainz and his teammate Charles Leclerc, who look like the right ones to dispute the title next year against the Dutchman Max Verstappen and his team, Red Bull.
It is no coincidence that the announcement was made on Mexican soil. It was in Mexico, a country that in Formula One turns to support Sainz, where the story that led to the appearance of the brand began. “Our history began in 1856, when José María Rivera, a 19-year-old boy, traveled from La Coruña and set up a store in Veracruz called Estrella de Oro. Upon returning home, he founded a beer and ice factory with a name that evoked the Mexican experience : Star of Galicia”, remembers Fernández.
“My goal hasn’t changed, it’s still to be world champion,” Sainz told EFE. Meanwhile, his sponsor devises a strategy. He relies on a warm, almost personal relationship with consumers and only after that think about profits and establishing himself in the world market.
“Ferrari are artisans in the motor world with a great history; we wrote ours with the idea of being a beloved beer”, concluded David Fernández.
(c) EFE Agency