Formula 1: Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny part of group investing in Alpine F1 team

The Wrexham Football Club owners, who recently enjoyed watching their side achieve promotion to League Two, are now part of an investor group taking a 24% equity stake in the Formula 1 team Alpine.

Alpine - whose drivers are Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly - announced on Monday via their parent company Renault that the two Hollywood actors, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, are investing through their company Maximum Effort Investment, alongside Otro Capital and RedBird Capital Partners. The €200 million deal values Alpine Racing, currently based in Britain, at about £706 million.

The US investment firm RedBird is an investor in Fenway Sports Group, the owner of Premier League side Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox baseball team. RedBirm also bought Italian Serie A club AC Milan in August 2022 in a deal worth €1.2 billion and also has a controlling stake in French league 1 side Toulouse.

Alpine currently sit fifth in the constructor’s championship ahead of this weekend’s race which will take place at the Red Bull ring in Austria.

What’s been said?

The Alpine chief executive Laurent Rossi has said: “This association is an important step to enhance our performance at all levels.” He also added that investment would “boost” the F1 team’s media profile, which would in turn support Alpine’s “performance over the long term.”

James Toney, co-founder of Maximum Effort Investments has said of the Renault Group: “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. 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.”

Who are Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney?

Reynolds and McElhenney completed the takeover of Wrexham football Club in 2021 and at the end of the 2022/23 season, the Welsh side were promoted back to the Football League after a 15-year absence.

The pair, however, are much better known for their onscreen achievements. Reynolds has become best known for his work as Deadpool in the Marvel Universe and has worked on other films, including The Proposal with Sandra Bullock; The Hitman’s Bodyguard and Red Notice with Dwayne Johnson. The 46-year-old has also been married to Gossip Girl star Blake Lively since 012 and the pair now have four children together.

Rob McElhenney is best known for starring and producing the show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He married his co-star Kaitlin Olson in 2008 and the pair have two children.