RENAULT GROUP: Alpine Racing Ltd speeds up its development and attracts EUR200m from World class investors

20230626_Alpine F1 Team_Press Release_EN

ALPINE RACING LTD SPEEDS UP ITS DEVELOPMENT
AND ATTRACTS €200M FROM WORLD CLASS INVESTORS

Renault Group and Alpine welcome Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners and Maximum Effort Investments to Alpine Racing Ltd, with a 24% equity stake.

• Renault Group and Alpine welcome Otro Capital and their partner, RedBird Capital Partners, along with Maximum Effort Investments (together, the “Investor Group”) to Alpine Racing Ltd, the entity in charge of Formula 1 activities based in Enstone (UK).
• The Investor Group is investing €200 million, representing a 24% equity stake, to support Alpine’s growth strategy and sporting ambitions in Formula 1.
• The transaction values Alpine Racing Ltd around $900 million following this investment.
• The Investor Group brings together a unique combination of expertise. Otro Capital and RedBird Capital Partners, with the brand building skills of Maximum Effort Investments (led by Ryan Reynolds) will bring successful sports & media experience and operational expertise in building high-growth companies.
• Ryan Reynolds co-investors also include Michael B. Jordan and Wrexham AFC Co-Chairman Rob McElhenney.
• The Investor Group is excited to enter F1, one of the most attractive and fastest growing international sports, with a historical F1 champion.
• Alec Scheiner, Co-Founder and Partner of Otro Capital, will join the Alpine Racing Ltd’s Board of Directors.
  
  

Boulogne-Billancourt, New York & Los Angeles – June 26, 2023 – Renault Group and Alpine announced a €200 million investment from Otro Capital and their partner, RedBird Capital Partners, along with Maximum Effort Investments (together the “Investor Group”) in Alpine Racing Ltd; (representing a 24% equity stake). Alpine Racing Ltd, the world class F1 team that finished top 4 in the 2022 F1 World Championship, is the entity representing Alpine’s F1 team and activities, based in Enstone (UK). 

The transaction values Alpine Racing Ltd around $900 million following this investment. It will accelerate Alpine’s growth plans and sporting ambitions in F1.

Alpine F1 team will benefit from the Investor Group’s collective expertise and track record in the sports industry including media, sponsorship, ticketing, hospitality, commercial rights management, licensing, and merchandising strategies to unlock incremental value creation and new growth levers. The Investor Group has a strong track record of company-building with recognized partners such as the Dallas Cowboys, Fenway Sports Group, the NFL, Toulouse FC and Wrexham AFC. Alpine F1 team will also benefit from the Investor Group's expertise in data and technology, key enablers of marketing and commercial performance.

Alec Scheiner, Co-Founder and Partner of Otro Capital, will join Alpine Racing Ltd’s Board of Directors.

Alpine Racing SAS, the entity manufacturing F1 engines in Viry-Châtillon, France, is not part of the transaction and will remain entirely owned by Renault Group.

Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group: “Formula 1 and Alpine are strategic assets for Renault Group. Over the past two years, we have re-ignited Alpine, capitalizing on its iconic A110 sports coupé, 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.”

Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine: “This association is an important step to enhance our 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 recognized expertise to boost our media and marketing strategy, essential to support our sporting performance over the long term. Second, 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.”

Alec Scheiner, Co-Founder and Partner of Otro Capital: “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to invest in Alpine F1. We believe in the management of the company, the value of the brand as well as the long-term trajectory of the sport. We believe that, along with our partners RedBird and Maximum Effort Investments, we can add value to Alpine's business operations and brand building, especially in North America.”

James Toney, Co-Founder of Maximum Effort Investments: “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."

Otro and RedBird’s investment also includes participation from the Huntsman Family and Main Street Advisors.

Renault Group will detail Alpine’s strategy on June 26th, 2023 during its Alpine Future Tour. This event will be hosted by Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group, and Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine, in Enstone (UK). 

Access to conference, will be available at 13:00 (UK time) / 14:00 (Paris time) on our website:
www.renaultgroup.com

About BWT Alpine F1 Team
BWT Alpine F1 Team competes in the FIA Formula One World Championship with race winners Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. Led by Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer, the team finished fourth in the 2022 Constructors’ Championship as it continues its quest to reach the pinnacle of Formula 1. Under the guidance of CEO Laurent Rossi, Alpine is the French-style sports car brand founded in 1955 by Jean Rédélé. The Alpine Business Unit was created in 2021 and became the brand dedicated to innovative, authentic, and exclusive sportscars of the Renault Group, benefiting from the heritage and craftsmanship of its historic plant in Dieppe as well as the engineering mastery from BWT Alpine F1 Team, Alpine Racing and Alpine Cars.
For more information, please go to www.alpinecars.com

About Renault Group
Renault Group is at the forefront of a mobility that is reinventing itself. Strengthened by its alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, and its unique expertise in electrification, Renault Group comprises 4 complementary brands - Renault, Dacia, Alpine and Mobilize - offering sustainable and innovative mobility solutions to its customers. Established in more than 130 countries, the Group has sold 2.1 million vehicles in 2022. It employs nearly 106,000 people who embody its Purpose every day, so that mobility brings people closer.        
Ready to pursue challenges both on the road and in competition, Renault Group is committed to an ambitious transformation that will generate value. This is centred on the development of new technologies and services, and a new range of even more competitive, balanced, and electrified vehicles. In line with environmental challenges, the Group’s ambition is to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040.
For more information, please go to www.renaultgroup.com

About Otro Capital
Otro Capital is an operator-founded private investment firm focused on sports, media, gaming, and entertainment, targeting under-monetized and often under-valued assets, and works in partnership with RedBird Capital. The Otro team, led by Alec Scheiner, Brent Stehlik, Niraj Shah, and Isaac Halyard, has operated and invested in the sports ecosystem for the last twenty-five years. Otro's targeted investments share three common factors i) differentiated access via a network of sports operators and owners, ii) valuable intellectual property, and iii) ability to add value via company building experience and direct operational expertise.
For more information, please go to www.otrocapital.com

About RedBird Capital Partners
RedBird Capital Partners is a private investment firm that builds high-growth companies and provides strategic capital solutions to founders and entrepreneurs. Founded in 2014 by Gerry Cardinale, RedBird integrates sophisticated private equity investing with a hands-on business building mandate that focuses on three core industry verticals - Media & Entertainment, Sports and Experiential Consumer, and Financial Services. Throughout his 30-year investment career, Cardinale has partnered with founders and entrepreneurs to build some of the most iconic growth companies in their respective industries. The firm currently manages over $8.6 billion in assets on behalf of a global group of blue chip institutional and family office investors.
RedBird’s portfolio consists of blue-chip IP across leagues, teams, media, entertainment and experiential consumer - including the YES Network, Fenway Sports Group, AC Milan, Skydance Media, The Springhill Company and its newly-created streaming platform with the NFL, Everpass Media.
For more information, please go to www.redbirdcap.com

About Maximum Effort Investments
Maximum Effort Investments is an investment fund focused on creating transformational value through story-telling. The story-first approach applies across four key investment sectors: real estate, sports, media, and consumer goods. The MEI leadership team uses its diverse set of backgrounds to find asymmetric ways to realize gains. Led by Ryan Reynolds, real-estate development and private equity firm Watford Group’s Harshal Dave, and Maximum Effort’s George Dewey and James Toney.

Investor Relations and Press contacts:

Alpine
David Gendry
David.gendry@alpinecars.com

Mario Almeida
Mario.almeida@uk.alpineracing.com

Renault Group
Frédéric Texier
Frederic.texier@renault.com

Philippine de Schonen
Philippine.de-schonen@renault.com

Otro Capital
Ben Sosenko
Ben@silvertribemedia.com

RedBird Capital Partners
Dan Gagnier
RedBird@gagnierfc.com

Maximum Effort Investments
Molly Alves
Mollya@maximumeffort.com

 

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