By alley - Oct 27, 2014, 12:09 PM ET

F1: Lotus sponsor Burn joins in Alonso silly season fun

Amid the twists and turns of a silly season frenzy over the future plans of Fernando Alonso – which now include speculation about his possible tie-up with Audi – Lotus team sponsor Burn stepped in with an impish Twitter post featuring a doctored photo of the two-time world champion in one of the team's uniforms (pictured).

"We think Alonso could look great in black and gold, don't you?" the Coca-Cola-owned energy drink tweeted.

Lotus, which is switching from Renault to Mercedes engines next year, has been touted as a dark-horse spot for Alonso to land if his negotiations to join McLaren are unsuccessful. The Spaniard is believed to be holding out for a one-year deal, while McLaren – which will be powered by works Honda engines next season – is understood to be insisting on a minimum of two.

Alonso has been connected with

the latest round of speculation about Audi's supposed F1 plans

, which have also linked in his former Ferrari team manager, Stefano Domenicali. Audi Sport took to social media over the weekend to pour cold water on the report that it would end its Le Mans prototype and DTM involvement in 2016 in favor of an F1 program.

"These rumors keep appearing with regularity [for] years. It’s pure speculation again this time and without any foundation," Audi posted on Twitter and Facebook. "We are committed to the FIA WEC, DTM and GT racing. In 2015 we will add the Audi Sport TT Cup to our program."

What, if anything, Audi would add in 2016, it didn't say...