Will F1 Champ Max Verstappen Push Ryan Reynolds’ $218,000,000 Alpine F1 Investment Down the Drain for No Fault of His Own?

Turn Formula 1 into an entertainment brand and bring it back to the success it deserves. That was Liberty Media’s objective when it completed its takeover of Formula 1 in 2017. And it’s safe to say, to a large extent, F1’s parent company has achieved that goal. Since 2017, the sport has seen tremendous growth in popularity, aided by the importance Liberty Media has given to its social media presence to reach a younger audience. Additionally, Liberty Media also brought in an overhaul of technical and regulatory changes—case in point, the 2022 regulation changes—to make racing closer and more exciting. But one of the biggest successes the company has had since the takeover has been the Netflix series Drive to Survive.

The series that started filming in 2018 gives audiences intimate access to the lives of F1 drivers and their teams. Allowing audiences to get an insight into the behind-the-scenes of F1 brought in more viewers to the sport, especially from the US. But Netflix being Netflix has occasionally added unnecessary drama to interactions on and off the track to make the show more entertaining and to make the sport a spectacle. While the series has succeeded in doing so, it has also made people believe that every race and season will have as much drama and excitement as is portrayed by Netflix, which is untrue. And because of this, Ryan Reynolds & Co.’s investment in Alpine could fail.

Drive to Survive has given new audiences a false sense of hope

On 26th June, an investment group consisting of actors Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, and Michael B. Jordan, alongside Otro Capitals and RedBird Capital Partners, invested $218 million in Alpine F1, claiming a 24% stake in the team. According to Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi, as quoted by goal.com, this partnership’s primary goal is “to boost our media and marketing strategy, essential to support our sporting performance over the long term.” To achieve this, audiences need to stick around long enough to form a connection with the team, but in this age of Max Verstappen dominance, they are bound to get bored and stop watching the sport.

Watching someone win again and again quickly becomes monotonous and boring. Well, that’s what’s happening in F1 right now. After the 2022 regulation changes Liberty Media suggested, Red Bull built a car (twice!) that is almost unbeatable. The team has won 26 of the 31 races since then, Verstappen having amassed most of them to his name. After the 2021 season that saw the title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen go down till the last lap of the season, the past two seasons have been underwhelming in terms of racing spectacle. And after watching DTS, newer fans tune into the sport to witness the same spectacle, only to get disheartened when Verstappen keeps winning.

Coming back to Alpine. The team is currently fifth in the championship and nowhere close to the front of the field. The presence of Hollywood stars like Ryan Reynolds will help the team garner more attention in the short run, helping it achieve the media profile it’s chasing. But in the long run, if Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s domination continues, the sport will most likely start losing audiences, and the investment in Alpine might be in vain. 

Read More: After Labelling Ryan Reynolds’ Investment in Alpine as “Ridiculous,” $619,000,000 Worth F1 Mogul Raises Doubts Over the Legality of the Deal

Can Reynolds & Co. help Alpine achieve its Mountain Climber plan?

F1 has seen eras of dominance since the championship started in 1950—McLaren, Williams, Ferrari, Mercedes, and now Red Bull. But the dominance comes to an end at some point. The question is: when Red Bull’s dominance ends, will Alpine be able to replace it at the top? According to the team’s Mountain Climber plan, Alpine aims to fight for the F1 world championship inside 100 races since it came into the sport.

As per Rossi, the revenue generated from the boost in Alpine’s media profile because of the $218 million investment will be invested in the Mountain Climber plan to accelerate it. But considering it’s already 53 races into its time in F1, and the fact the Verstappen and Red Bull are showing no signs of slowing down, will the investment do anything to help the team in the long run?

Do you think Ryan Reynolds’ investment will pay dividends?

WATCH THIS STORY | Amidst Allegations Against Ryan Reynolds’ $218 Million Investment, Alpine CEO Finally Speaks About the Mega Deal