Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images
Alpine F1 announced that Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, and Michael B. Jordan were among investors purchasing an equity stake in the team
In November of 2020, actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased Wrexham A.F.C, the third-oldest professional soccer club, in the world. Their goal? Help the team secure promotion from the National League, the fifth tier of the English soccer pyramid, into the EFL League Two for the first time since its relegation in 2007.
With the team having finally secured promotion following the 2022-2023 season, it seems the Hollywood duo has a new goal in mind.
Formula 1.
Alpine announced on Monday that a group of investors have purchased a 24% equity stake in the team. Those investors include Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners, and Maximum Effort Investments.
Maximum Effort Investments is led by Reynolds, with co-investors McElhenney and fellow actor Michael B. Jordan. Jordan is also part of the ownership group of A.F.C. Bournemouth.
“This association is an important step to enhance our performance at all levels,” said Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi. “Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners and Maximum Effort Investments, as international players with strong track record in the sports industry, will bring their recognised expertise to boost our media and marketing strategy, essential to support our sporting performance over the long term.”
“The incremental revenue generated will in turn be reinvested in the team, in order to further accelerate our Mountain Climber plan, aimed at catching up with top teams in terms of state-of-the-art facilities and equipment,” Rossi added.
“Maximum Effort Investments focuses on unlocking value through the power of storytelling, and we believe there is tremendous untapped potential in Alpine Racing. We are eager to help shine a light on this incredible team,” said James Toney, co-founder of Maximum Effort. We’re thankful to our partners at Otro Capital and RedBird Capital Partners and look forward to diving in with them, as well as our co-investors Michael B. Jordan and Rob McElhenney.”
The announcement was made ahead of Alpine’s “Future Tour” conference, scheduled for later in the day Monday.
The news comes during a season which has seen Alpine push to fifth in the F1 Constructors’ standings, but also seen Rossi express some frustration that the team has not performed better. While Alpine is currently fifth, they have seen Aston Martin move ahead of them in the standings thanks to their strong start, and the impressive season from Fernando Alonso.
Perhaps Alpine is looking for their own Hollywood ending.
