The BWT Alpine F1 team might not be making a great deal of noise on the track, but they sure are attracting some high-profile investors.
The team which already counts Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney among its investors, announced Tuesday that Otro Capital, one of the groups who manage the team’s investments, has added some of the top professionals in the sports industry into its investment group in Alpine F1.
Among them are defending NFL Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. They join PGA champion, Rory McIlroy, Olympic boxing gold medalist and two-time former unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, and soccer players Trent Alexander-Arnold and Juan Mata.
According to Otro, the investment is worth over $211 million.
“We are honored at Otro Capital to be joined by this particular group of investors into our Alpine F1 investment in partnership with RedBird Capital Partners and Maximum Effort Investments,” Alec Scheiner, Otro Capital said in a press release. “These are best-in-class investors, athletes, entertainers, and entrepreneurs and they are all committed to elevating the Alpine F1 team.”
Maximum Effort Investments is the group that secured a reported $218.10 million US deal with Reynolds and McElhenney that was announced in June of this year.
With this latest investment the team, backed by the Renault Group, is now estimated to be worth over $1 billion.
“I’ve always had a passion for all sports,” Mahomes said. “The opportunity to lead an investor group with Travis in Alpine F1 alongside Otro Capital was one I couldn’t pass up. It’s an exciting time for the sport and this is an opportunity to bring our shared values to the world stage. I’m looking forward to being a part of its growth.”
The team is fronted by an all-French driver line-up with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. The team is currently sixth in the constructor’s championship, and the drivers are eleventh and twelfth respectively in the driver’s points. Both drivers have one podium finish (third) each this season.
“I am thrilled to lead an investor group and join forces with Patrick and the team at Otro Capital on this exciting venture with Alpine F1,” Kelce said. “Our shared passion for excellence and innovation forms the cornerstone of this partnership. It’s about being able to contribute to a sport that demands precision, teamwork, and relentless pursuit of success. I am looking forward to this new chapter and can’t wait to see what we achieve together.”
Kelce may be an eight-time consecutive NFL Pro Bowl and two-time Super Bowl champion, but is best known for his very high-profile relationship with music superstar, Taylor Swift. Swift, who has a legion of fans called “Swifties” who are regarded by many as the largest most devoted fanbase in existence, has appeared at several NFL games cheering on Kelce and the team. Ironically Reynolds was seen by her side.
The couple recently appeared in New York where Kelce made a cameo on Saturday Night Live.
The appearances have caused a sensation in the mainstream media creating a “Taylor Swift effect” that has drawn attention to the NFL from a wider fanbase than ever before. This has led to some surprising stats including:
Fanatics reporting a 400% increase in Kelce’s jersey sales which put him in the top 5 players in the NFL.
According to Taboola, Swift and Kelce have been dominating the most-read-about entertainment topics: Taylor Swift is first and Travis Kelce is second.
There is little doubt that with F1 working to attract a wider fan base of its own it would be no surprise to see some of the new celebrity star investors at an upcoming F1 race. The series races in Austin, Texas this coming weekend, but will make its debut in Las Vegas November 16-18. The Kansas City Chiefs will be playing a Monday night game on November 20, giving the players a weekend off. An appearance in Vegas by Kelce and his famous girlfriend isn’t out of the question. If it happens it could be the kind of sensation in the mainstream media, especially here in America, that will have Formula 1 grinning ear to ear.
Read the full article here