Days After $210M Alpine Takeover With Travis Kelce, Rory McIlroy Shockingly Picks F1 Rival for Dinner Date

Travis Kelce could very well be the most popular sportsperson in the world right now. If not the most popular, he’s definitely on his way to becoming one of them. As well as he is doing for his NFL team—the Kansas City Chiefs—it’s more his personal life that’s brought him into the limelight. But what’s so interesting about his personal life? Well, he’s dating probably the most popular person in the world – Taylor Swift. As one of the most popular sporting personalities right now, what better way to increase his influence than by investing in the fastest-growing sport in the world?

That’s right. Travis Kelce invested a whopping $210 million into Alpine F1, and he wasn’t alone. His Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes, four-time golf major champion Rory McIlroy, Liverpool FC’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, former Chelsea FC star Juan Mata, and former boxing world champion Anthony Joshua, joined Kelce. But after joining Kelce and Alpine, McIlroy may have betrayed his new team a little.

Has Rory McIlroy disappointed Travis Kelce & Co.?

Ever since American conglomerate Liberty Media took over Formula 1 in 2017, the sport’s popularity has skyrocketed, especially in the US. Kelce & Co.’s mammoth investment is a result of this. This A-list sporting personality investor group is part of Otro Capital, the investment firm that collaborated with Ryan Reynolds earlier this year to invest $218 million in Alpine. 

The Enstone team has had a turbulent season. After finishing P4 in the Constructors’ Championship last season, Alpine wanted to repeat or even better that result this season. So far, its performances have been far from what it expected. Even so, the team has obviously shown promise for investors to pump so much into it. Over the past few seasons, one of Alpine’s biggest rivals has been McLaren, and Rory McIlroy practically had a rendezvous with the enemy.

Who was the McLaren representative McIlroy met? Lando Norris. The 23-year-old loves golf, and the Northern Irish golfer is obviously someone he looks up to. So as Anthony Joshua made his way to the US GP to support Alpine, McIlroy joined Norris and former NHL player Teemu Selanne for dinner. Talk about a plot twist. 

Read More: Esteban Ocon Openly Flaunts Taylor Swift Connection Days After Patrick Mahomes & Co.’s F1 Heist

Whether or not Travis Kelce & Co. will be pleased with McIlroy, Norris sure would’ve been, especially considering he needs all the tips he can get before a major upcoming event.

Lando Norris will be live on Netflix

After Liberty Media’s F1 takeover, one of the first things it did to increase the sport’s viewership was Drive To Survive. The Netflix show has been a phenomenon, bringing in so many viewers to the sport. Seeing how popular the series got, Netflix has released similar shows for tennis (Break Point) and golf (Full Swing). Now, the streaming giant is set to host a crossover between F1 and golf, and we can’t wait for it!

The ‘Netflix Cup’ will feature F1 drivers Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, and Alex Albon. Joining them will be PGA golfers Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Colin Morikawa, and Justin Thomas. Four teams (with one F1 driver and one golfer) will compete in an eight-hole match at the Wynn Golf Club on the Las Vegas Strip before the Las Vegas GP. The top two teams will compete for the first Netflix Cup title, all of which will be live-streamed on the service.

WATCH THIS STORY | Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney Invested $0 to Acquire 24% Stake in Alpine F1 as Wrexham Masterplan Continues to Pay Dividends

How do you think Lando Norris will fare at the Netflix Cup? Will Rory McIlroy’s betrayal of Travis Kelce & Co. work in the 23-year-old’s favor?