Who are the big-name investors involved in the €200,000,000 Alpine F1 deal?

An investor group, including Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny, has bought a 24% equity stake in the Alpine F1 team. The group also includes American investment firms Otro Capital and RedBird Capital Partners, Alpine's parent company Renault announced on Monday.

The two actors, who co-own Welsh football team Wrexham FC, have bought the shares through the Reynolds-led Maximum Effort Investments - which also has 'Creed' star Michael B. Jordan as a co-investor.

Redbird is an investor in the Fenway Sports Group, which owns Premier League team Liverpool and the MLB franchise Boston Red Sox. Redbird also bought Serie A club AC Milan in a $1.2 billion deal last year.

With the €200 million investment, British-based Alpine F1 is valued at €706 million.

Luca de Meo, CEO of the Renault Group, said the new investment will "accelerate" Alpine's development.

"Formula 1 and Alpine are strategic assets for Renault Group," he said. "Over the past two years, we have re-ignited Alpine, capitalising on its iconic A110 sports coupe, boosting it by entering Formula 1, where it aims to become a championship contender. This partnership will accelerate Alpine F1 development by diversifying revenue drivers and increasing brand value."

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Alpine hoping to catch-up with top F1 teams after major investment

Alpine currently sit fifth in the contructor's standings and haven't quite reached the levels they aspired to at the start of the season. The Enstone-based team were aiming to build upon their fourth-placed finish in 2022 and challenge the teams at the top of the grid.

However, with the new injection of cash into the team, they will now look to put their underwhelming start to the season - which has yeilded just one podium finish in eight races - behind them.

Alpine's CEO Laurent Rossi said that the new investment will "enhance" their performance "at all levels."

"First, 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," Rossi said.

"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," he added.

Alpine's 'Mountain Climber' plan is to compete for championship titles within 100 races from the start of the 2022 season. The team currently has 44 points, 78 off fourth-placed Ferrari.