Alpine has confirmed a Formula 1 title partnership with Gucci from 2027.
The Enstone-based team is set to race as the Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team from next year, marking the first time a luxury fashion house has served as title partner of an F1 team in the sport’s history.
The move has been widely reported since mid-May and ends speculation over who would replace BWT as the team’s naming partner following the Austrian water treatment company’s expected exit after the 2026 season.
The partnership introduces Gucci Racing as a new standalone business and experiential platform built around performance, precision, discipline and excellence at the intersection of luxury and sport.
That framing matters – this is not a conventional logo placement but a platform with commercial infrastructure of its own.
“This partnership with Alpine Formula One Team writes a new chapter: Gucci becomes the first luxury fashion house to serve as Title Partner in Formula One,” said Francesca Bellettini, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gucci.
“Formula One represents today a unique convergence of performance, culture, and global reach, and Alpine Formula One Team is the right partner to bring this vision to life.
“Gucci Racing is more than a presence on the grid: it is an expression of who we are and where we want to take the brand. And there is much more to come.”
Gucci is owned by Kering, the French luxury group whose Chief Executive Officer is Luca de Meo – a name well known to Alpine.
De Meo served as CEO of Renault Group and was a driving force behind the development of Alpine’s F1 programme before moving to Kering in September 2025.
The financial terms have not been formally disclosed but Sector has been told the deal value could be in the region of €30 million and €60 million annually.
That figure would represent a significant step up from Alpine’s previous title partnership arrangements and one that reflects the elevated commercial value now attached to F1 title real estate.
“Luxury brands don’t move at this scale unless they see long term cultural value,” Amy Mansell, European Sponsorship Association Board Director, told Sector.
“Gucci taking a title partnership role with the Alpine F1 Team is a reflection of how profoundly Formula 1’s audience and positioning have evolved over recent years.
“Formula 1 is no longer operating solely within the confines of sport. It has become a global cultural, entertainment and lifestyle platform, creating enormous opportunity for brands able to engage authentically with this new generation of fan.”
For Gucci, the strategic logic is clear. F1’s US audience has grown dramatically under Liberty Media’s stewardship, and the sport’s demographic – younger, more female, globally mobile and increasingly shaped by lifestyle and culture – aligns closely with where Gucci wants to grow.
The sport is no longer just attracting traditional sponsors. It’s becoming one of the most influential platforms in global culture, and I believe we’re only at the beginning of what this next era looks like
Amy Mansell
The combination of F1’s broadcast reach, its event footprint across major global cities and its cultural crossover moment makes Alpine a meaningful platform rather than a vanity play.
“What’s particularly exciting is that Formula 1 is now opening itself up to entirely new categories of partnership and, in turn, entirely new audiences,” added Mansell.
“We’ve seen major luxury fashion houses like Louis Vuitton and Gucci make significant moves into the sport, and now beauty officially on the grid too.
“It signals a broader cultural shift in what Formula 1 represents today. The sport is no longer just attracting traditional sponsors. It’s becoming one of the most influential platforms in global culture, and I believe we’re only at the beginning of what this next era looks like.”
Alpine’s Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore, whose own career in motorsport began at Benetton – another fashion brand that competed at the pinnacle of the sport – framed the deal as a natural extension of the team’s identity and its on-track progress.
The Enstone team has a history of doing things differently to others and has previously shown that fashion can finish first in Formula One.
Flavio Briatore
“Partnering with a prestigious brand of Gucci’s calibre in Formula One as title partner of Alpine Formula One Team is something I am incredibly proud of,” he said.
“The Enstone team has a history of doing things differently to others and has previously shown that fashion can finish first in Formula One.
“With the improved performance on track, and Alpine having its best-ever points total to start a season, this new collaboration with Gucci shows the growing momentum behind the team.”
The announcement also lands at a particularly pointed moment in Alpine’s commercial story. Otro Capital, the US investment group that holds a 24% stake in the team, has been exploring the sale of that holding since earlier this year with a lock-up period expiring in September.
Three parties have been reported as active bidders – a consortium associated with former Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner, Mercedes, and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen.
Whoever ultimately secures Otro’s stake is now walking into a materially different commercial proposition than existed even a month ago.
A confirmed title partnership with one of the world’s most recognisable luxury brands, a new standalone platform in Gucci Racing and a deal reportedly worth tens of millions per year changes the conversation around Alpine’s valuation and its commercial trajectory significantly.
