Footballers, NFLers, a golfer and a boxer line up to invest in Alpine

Remember when we learned earlier this year that Ryan Reynolds had invested in Alpine’s F1 operation? Well it looks like he’s started something: now a host of sports stars have joined the fund and can legit call themselves co-owners.

New to the party are Liverpool and England footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold, (former) heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, four-time golf grand slam and Ryder Cup winner Rory McIlroy, NFL and Kansas City Chiefs’ stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and retired World Cup winning footballer Juan Mata. Quite the line-up, that.

They’ve all joined the Otro Capital fund that bought 24 per cent of Alpine for $200 million this summer… right before the team sacked a bunch of people for the 2023 car’s poor performance. Oops.

Anyway, the idea is that the high-profile investors will be able to raise awareness of the Alpine brand in their respective circles, and as the value of F1 teams skyrockets, no doubt some juicy profits will be expected in return.

“I’m excited to be joining Otro Capital’s group as an investor into Alpine F1 along with my brother Tyler,” said Alexander-Arnold. “Having been to Formula 1 races as a fan, I love the high-pressure environment of the paddock and I’ve seen firsthand how incredibly impressive the Alpine team is.”

And Joshua added: “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. I am excited to start this journey with Otro and a great group of fellow investors and hope to help the team achieve its full potential.”

Ah yes, full potential. If you’re familiar with F1 you’ll already know this is the team that periodically claims it will be competitive in five years’ time, but never is. Maybe this time will be different?