Christian Horner’s path to returning to F1 with Alpine encounters a hurdle from Mercedes.
Christian Horner’s pursuit of acquiring a stake in Alpine’s Formula 1 team has been complicated by Mercedes also submitting its own proposal.
Investors in Alpine, Otro Capital, who acquired 24 percent of the team in 2023 for $233 million, are seeking to divest their entire interest.
With Formula 1 valuations escalating at remarkable rates, Otro, a consortium that includes actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney along with golfer Rory McIlroy, appears poised to realize a substantial profit.
Various estimates have placed Alpine’s total valuation at approximately $3 billion.
Former Red Bull team principal Horner is recognized as one of the interested parties and has assembled his own consortium, which is currently in discussions with Otro.
This week, reports indicated that Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had made a personal offer as well.
Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore has clarified the current situation, acknowledging interest from Mercedes while emphasizing that Wolff is not engaged in negotiations with Otro.
“Every day presents a new scenario,” Briatore stated on Friday. “However, I want to clarify that it is Mercedes negotiating — not with Toto, but with Mercedes — and we will see what unfolds.”
“Keep in mind, we are discussing the Otro shares, which are unrelated to Alpine. These shares are owned by a hedge fund called Otro, an American fund. They are looking to sell the 24 percent, and several candidates are prepared to finalize the deal.”
When questioned about his own interest in purchasing the shares, Briatore, the former co-owner of Queens Park Rangers, responded: “No, no, no, no. I am merely observing. I am just monitoring the situation. At this moment, we have no communication with Toto. Therefore, if someone acquires the shares, we will be quite pleased.”
Alpine is the rebranded identity of what was formerly Renault’s factory team, although the French team closed its engine facility last year.
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Alpine has transitioned to a Mercedes power unit supply for 2026, a change that Briatore assisted in facilitating.
When asked if Alpine could ensure autonomy in their voting on critical F1 issues if Mercedes became a significant stakeholder, Briatore referenced Red Bull, which also owns the Racing Bulls team.
“I believe so,” Briatore remarked. Red Bull has been a trailblazer over the past 10 to 15 years. As I mentioned, Mercedes is looking to acquire Otro’s 24%. Typically, in a company, 75% makes the decisions while 25% is merely along for the ride. This is the reality.”
Sources have informed ESPN that there is a set deadline in the middle of this year for Alpine to determine to whom Otro will sell its stake.
If an agreement is not reached by that time, Otro retains the discretion to select the buyer independently.
Source: espn.com
