Ryan Reynolds' F1 team to emulate Wrexham success with 2026 race win promise

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

Alpine F1 team boss Flavio Briatore expects a title challenge within two years, helped by the team's "glamorous image" including co-owners, Ryan Reynolds, Patrick Mahomes and Rory McIlroy
Despite being co-owned by a swathe of A-list stars and sporting greats, the Alpine F1 team has recently been more accustomed to chaos than to success. But Flavio Briatore is back in full command and has promised that will soon change.
The controversial Italian was brought back in as a special adviser to team owners Renault last year and, this month, assumed full command after team principal Oliver Oakes resigned. And he has promised that Alpine will be competing for race wins next year and challenging for the title in 2027.
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"In 2026, we can win races, I guarantee it, and in 2027, we want to be title contenders," he told French outlet Le Monde. "In 2026, there will be no excuses: we must be competitive. We owe it to Renault, to Alpine... we're in this sport to win, and with the new regulations coming in 2026, the teams that interpret them best will have the edge."
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That would be a remarkable turnaround for a team which sits ninth out of 10 constructors' so far this year, heading into the Spanish Grand Prix. And also one which has seen much upheaval in recent years with a swathe of high-profile departures.
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Former Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi was axed in July 2023, shortly before team principal Otmar Szafnauer was sacked in the middle of that season's Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Sporting director Alan Permane also left while technical chief Pat Fry quit to join midfield rivals Williams.
That was only 18 months after previous team principal Marcin Budkowski had left the role, around the same time as legendary former F1 driver Alain Prost quit as a director. Szafnauer's replacement, Bruno Famin, lasted barely a year in the job before he was moved into another role with Oakes coming in.
Several high-profile drivers have also left, including Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri and, last year, Esteban Ocon. But there have also been plenty of famous faces joining the outfit as investors over the last 18 months with around a quarter of the team now owned by Otro Capital, which has some very notable people on board.
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That includes Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who'd love to emulate the success they've had since taking over Welsh football club Wrexham. Another actor on board is Michael B. Jordan, while there are also a swathe of sporting stars involved, such as footballers Trent Alexander-Arnold and Juan Mata, former boxing heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, recent Masters golf winner Rory McIlroy and Kansas City Chiefs pair Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Getting such names on board was an idea which pre-dated Briatore's return to Renault, but he has been making the most of it. He said: "In the past, I tried to develop F1. I understood that to find major sponsors, you didn't just have to be an engine manufacturer, but also have a glamorous image.
"With Benetton and Renault, we found very important sponsors, and I remember that the engineers were reluctant to this idea. They told me, 'You shouldn't have too many sponsors, because the stickers you stick on the car are too heavy.' We were the first to have someone who dealt exclusively with marketing. Today, it's almost the opposite excess, as the marketing teams are so extensive."