Alpine: Rory McIlroy and Anthony Joshua invest in Formula 1 team
- Published
Alpine hope the involvement of star names such as golfer Rory McIlroy will help boost their media profile
Golfer Rory McIlroy and boxer Anthony Joshua are among the sports stars to join a group that has invested in the Alpine Formula 1 team.
Liverpool and England footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold and NFL star Patrick Mahomes have also joined up with Otro Capital, which owns 24% of Alpine.
Otro invested in the team in June, along with RedBird Capital and actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Their purchase of a 24% stake valued the Renault-owned team at about £706m.
The hope is the involvement of further star names will raise awareness of Alpine across global sport and increase its fanbase.
Northern Irishman McIlroy, ranked the world's number two golfer, said in a statement: "Passion for excellence on the golf course has led me to admire the same pursuit in Formula 1.
"Partnering with Otro Capital in Alpine F1 is an exhilarating venture that unites my love for sports, competition, and the relentless drive to be the best."
Two-time unified world heavyweight boxing champion Joshua said: "The chance to strategically invest with Otro Capital in Alpine was an opportunity I couldn't ignore.
"The heritage of the team, mixed with the global growth of Formula 1 as a sport and brand made this a very serious proposition."
Alpine, who finished fourth in the world championship last year, have had a disappointing 2023, and are sixth of 10 teams in the constructors' standings with five races remaining this year, starting with this weekend's US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
A matter of weeks after the investment by Otro and RedBird, Alpine sacked chief executive officer Laurent Rossi, team principal Otmar Szafnauer and long-standing sporting director Alan Permane.
Rossi oversaw the team's decline in fortunes this season, as well as in the summer of 2022, losing not only two-time world champion Fernando Alonso but also Alpine's promising protege Oscar Piastri to rival teams.
Alonso, who moved to Aston Martin, is fourth in the drivers' championship after scoring seven podiums in 17 grands prix so far this year.
Australian Piastri has been a standout rookie following his switch to McLaren, scored podiums in the past two races in Japan and Qatar, and took pole position for the Qatar sprint race.
Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon have scored one podium each this season.
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