Renault stop discussions in sale of Otro Capital shareholding

GPblog understands that Renault, the majority shareholder of the Alpine team, has decided not to continue discussions with any party regarding the acquisition of Otro Capital’s stake.

The news is likely to mean that Renault's decision to suspend talks will prevent Christian Horner from mounting a bid for the shareholding. Horner has been linked with a bid to become co-owner of the Enstone-based team since he was axed by Red Bull Racing last summer.

According to the BBC, Otro wanted $720m (£536m) for its shareholding, a figure that values the team at $3bn (£2.2bn).

Otro paid €200m (£171m) for the shares in June 2023. A source at Renault told the BBC said: "We understand that discussions have stopped."

Renault has a power of veto over any sale of the Otro shares until September, and would have used that to block any sale to a group that had links with Horner.

Meanwhile, Mercedes are planning to cut the number of customer teams. Mercedes currently supply McLaren, Williams and Alpine but one will need to find a new engine supplier if Merc drop to two.

Alpine will rebrand as the Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team from 2027, with the Italian fashion house replacing BWT as title sponsor.

The deal makes Gucci the first luxury fashion house to headline an F1 team, expanding the sport’s growing roster of high-end partners following last year’s 10-year agreement with LVMH. Read more

Luxury involvement now spans the grid, with brands like Richard Mille, TUDOR, HUGO BOSS and Tommy Hilfiger active alongside rising beauty-sector partners such as Charlotte Tilbury, ELEMIS and ELF. Read more

Horner completed his gardening leave from Red Bull in April, clearing him to work in Formula 1 again, though he is not expected to reappear before the summer break.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has publicly voiced support for his return, calling Horner good for the sport and predicting he will find a way back. A GPblog poll reflected similar sentiment, with 78% of respondents expecting a comeback in the near future. Read more