Mercedes-AMG Interested in Acquiring Stake in Alpine Team
During the F1 China Grand Prix, Alpine team executive advisor Flavio Briatore revealed that currently, including Mercedes-AMG, there are "three to four potential buyers" negotiating to acquire the 24% stake in Alpine held by U.S. private equity fund Otro Capital. Former Red Bull team principal Horner has also expressed interest in the deal.
Above: Alpine team at the F1 Chinese Grand Prix
Otro Capital was founded in New York in 2023, focusing on sports investments, with several founding members from RedBird Capital Partners. In October of the same year, Otro led the acquisition of a 24% stake in Renault Group's Alpine F1 team, with the team valued at approximately $900 million at the time. Other investors in this round included RedBird Capital, Maximum Effort Investments under Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds, as well as golfer Rory McIlroy, footballers Trent Alexander-Arnold and Juan Mata, among others.
Recently, Otro Capital completed the fundraising for the world's largest first-time dedicated sports acquisition fund, reaching $1.2 billion.Related reading: $1.2 billion! Otro completes fundraising for the world's largest first-time dedicated sports acquisition fund
Briatore said: "Things change every day. I don't know the latest situation, but I can confirm that we are negotiating with the Mercedes team, not with Toto Wolff personally. We'll see what happens."
Mercedes is currently Alpine's power unit supplier, with the partnership set to continue until the end of 2030 under the existing agreement. Last week, a Mercedes spokesperson said: "As an important strategic partner of the Alpine team, we are always monitoring the latest developments."
The remaining 76% of Alpine shares are still held by Renault Group. At the press conference, when asked if Mercedes' stake would guarantee it does not affect the team's operations or voting stance in the F1 Commission, Briatore responded: "Generally speaking, the shareholder with 75% makes decisions, while the 25% minority shareholder is just a follower. That's the reality."
In terms of team valuation, Mercedes-AMG team CEO Toto Wolff sold a 5% stake in the team in November 2025, pushing the team's valuation to a new high of $6 billion. According to Forbes' valuation of teams in December 2025 (click to view), Alpine is valued at approximately $2.45 billion.
In the just-concluded 2026 F1 Chinese Grand Prix, Mercedes-AMG performed impressively, with 19-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli (pictured below) winning his first F1 race, and George Russell winning the Shanghai Sprint Race.
| Source: New York Times; Sky News
| Image credit: Mercedes-AMG and Alpine team official social media