Fast Five: Reynolds and McElhenney buy stake in Alpine, Hitech confirms F1 entry bid, and other big updates

Reynolds and McElhenney buy stake in Alpine F1

Actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, along with investment groups Otro Capital and RedBird Capital Partners, have purchased a 24% stake in Alpine Racing, the parent company of Renault's Formula One team. The deal is valued at €200 million, making Alpine Racing worth around €825 million ($900M). This investment aims to boost Alpine Racing's media and marketing strategy and support its long-term sporting performance goals. Reynolds and McElhenney, known for their ownership of the Wrexham soccer club, will be joined by co-investor Michael B. Jordan. The plan is for Alpine Racing to compete for championships within 100 races starting in 2022.

Click here to read the full article on rte.ie.

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Hitech confirms F1 entry bid

Hitech Grand Prix, the UK-based team known from its junior racing series entries, has made a formal bid to join the F1 grid. The announcement comes in conjunction with an investment by Kazakh businessman Vladimir Kim who purchased a 25% stake in the company. “Motorsport has been a long-standing personal interest for me, and I am delighted to be entering into a partnership with an organization that has enjoyed success in so many categories and has such ambitions for its future,” Kim said.

Click here to read the full article by Chris Medland (racer.com).

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Tsunoda open to leaving Red Bull

Yuki Tsunoda, a Formula 1 driver for AlphaTauri, has expressed his willingness to leave Red Bull if it means joining a consistently high-performing team. Despite his 17th place in the standings, Tsunoda has showcased his skills by bringing an underperforming car to fight for points. He has gained attention and is considered a potential partner for Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Tsunoda wants to show his value to all teams and hopes to reach a point in his career where he can choose his team. While Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor, acknowledges AlphaTauri's underperformance, he sees Tsunoda as an example of the team's success in developing young talents.

Click here to read the full article by Sam Cooper (planetf1.com).

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AlphaTauri moving part of the team to England

Dr. Helmut Marko has alleviated the pressure on Red Bull's second Formula 1 team, AlphaTauri, amidst rumors of a potential sale. Marko acknowledges that AlphaTauri's current performance is unsatisfactory but emphasizes its importance as a training ground for young talents. Despite their struggles, Yuki Tsunoda is considered a strong candidate to partner with Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing in the future. Marko plans to make operational changes and expand cooperation with Red Bull Racing, potentially involving relocating parts of the team to England for improved resource utilization.

Click here to read the full article on grandprix.com.

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Most underrated F1 driver

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A Twitter survey focused on identifying the most underrated drivers in Formula 1 resulted in a shortlist of candidates. Among these options, which driver do you believe is the most underrated?