Flavio Briatore revealed that the Renault group had received an offer to buy the 24% stake in Alpine F1 currently held by Otro Capital, a proposal that would value the team at 3.2 billion.
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For several months, Renault has been looking for a buyer for this minority stake. Mercedes, through a group led by Toto Wolff, had shown interest in the past, while Christian Horner has also been mentioned as a possible leader of a consortium of investors after his departure from Red Bull.
For now, no agreement has been reached and Otro Capital remains a shareholder of Alpine. However, the team is about to open a new chapter with the upcoming arrival of Gucci as title sponsor.
40% of the value of the Renault group!
Asked about the 2.45 billion dollar valuation put forward by Forbes, Briatore estimated without a shadow of hesitation that the real value of the team was significantly higher: “No, no, we are worth more.”
The Italian then revealed on The Race Business that a concrete offer had already been made: “We have an offer for the 24% held by Otro. This offer values the team at 3.2 billion.”
According to Briatore, this valuation also highlights Alpine’s weight within the Renault group: “We correspond to about 40% of Renault’s market capitalization. The entire group is worth about 8.3 billion, and we are working on a valuation of 3.5 billion for the team. So we represent between 40 and 50% of the group’s value.”
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This may seem disproportionate, but it is all a matter of perception and Formula 1 is currently riding a somewhat euphoric wave, driven by high-end deals like the one concluded with luxury giant Gucci (photo above) for Alpine F1 from 2027. This could lead Briatore to recruit his eternal protégé Fernando Alonso to join the team.
The Gucci effect
The identity of the buyer candidate has not been disclosed, but it may be linked to the future Gucci sponsorship. Briatore clarifies, however, that this matter primarily concerns Renault and not the sporting management of the team: “It’s not really my problem. It’s primarily a question that concerns Renault.”
He nevertheless believes that the future partner will have to bring more than just financial support: “Of course, if we welcome a partner for 24%, I expect them to bring not only money but also help in technology, finance, or another area.”
Briatore does not expect a quick conclusion to the negotiations: “I don’t think anything spectacular will happen in September. I find it very difficult for an investor to buy 24% of a company without being perfectly in agreement with the majority shareholder. I’ve never seen anyone spend 600 million to acquire a minority stake without having reached an agreement with the main owner. We’ll see what happens. Renault is negotiating.”
Finally, he assures that this possible development will have no impact on the team’s operation: “From the team’s point of view, it changes absolutely nothing for me. Today we have Otro, tomorrow it may be someone else.”
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