Who is Ryan Reynolds at Alpine F1 team?

Alpine (Renault) have announced that Ryan Reynolds is part of an investor group taking a 24% equity stake in the company. This is a 200m euros (£171 million) deal, and it's not the first time Reynolds and his Hollywood friend Rob McElhenney have invested in sport. 

Who is Ryan Reynolds? 

Ryan Reynolds is an actor, film producer and businessman. The 46-year-old was born in Canada, where he started his acting career in the teen soap opera Hillside. He also covered minor roles in a sitcom called Two Guys and a Girl.

Reynolds has been featured in various movies, but he is perhaps best known for playing the titular character Deadpool in 2016 and again in 2018. He also played the same character in No Good Deed (2017) and (as Wade Wilson) in X-Men Origins Wolverine (2009). 

The actor was recently featured in Netflix's The Adam Project. In 2021, Reynolds starred in Free Guy. Some of his earlier work includes Definitely, Maybe (2008), Adventureland (2009) and The Proposal (2009). 

Business and Sport

In 2018, Reynolds launched his production company Maximum Effort. Name after the famous catchphrase used by Deadpool. After initially securing a deal with Fox, Reynolds acquired a stake in Mint Mobile and Aviation American Gin. He then ventured into the world of sport when he and fellow actor Rob McElhenney joined forces to purchase Wrexham AFC. 

The Welsh Football Club sat in the fifth tier of the English Football League when the deal was announced. It raised a few eyebrows as this kind of deal usually occurs to Premier League and Championship clubs. Under his leadership, the team went from strength to strength and earned promotion after a successful 2022-23 National League campaign. In August 2023, Wrexham will play in EFL League Two. 

Wrexham's popularity increased after they made the deal. The team featured in FIFA 22 as part of the Rest of the World section. Reynolds and McElhenney have secured the sponsorship of United Airlines for the 2023/24 season. 

In June 2023, it was confirmed that Reynolds and McElhenney purchased 24% of equity shares of the Alpine F1 team. Alpine are planning on putting this investment to good use, and the team outlined their broader plan during a press conference on Monday afternoon.