(Motorsport-Total.com) – Pink is history. Alpine will start the 2027 Formula 1 season with a completely new look. The background is a change of title sponsor. After the Austrian company BWT had taken on this role so far, the Italian fashion company Gucci was presented as the new title partner on Wednesday.
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This will also change the official name of the racing team from Enstone. After starting as “BWT Alpine F1 Team” since 2022, the team will appear in the entry list from the 2027 season as “Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team.”
In the official press release, Alpine announces that from next year it will also start in “Gucci colors.” The CEO of Gucci’s parent company Kering is none other than Luca de Meo, who was managing director of Alpine’s parent Renault until 2025.
At the same time, the press release announces the founding of “Gucci Racing.” This is “a new business and experience platform based on the values of performance, precision, discipline, and excellence at the intersection of luxury and sport.”
All Formula 1 cars from Renault/Alpine
“Formula 1 has developed far beyond the sport itself into one of the world’s most influential platforms for premium content, reaching over 1.5 billion people each season and exciting a rapidly growing, younger, and increasingly female audience,” emphasizes de Meo.
“As a place of creativity, pursuit of excellence, and human achievement, we see it as a unique platform for luxury brands to push boundaries, create meaningful connections, and increase long-term value and brand appeal – while achieving measurable and sustainable impact.”
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A full circle for the team
Flavio Briatore, who was brought back to Alpine in Formula 1 by de Meo in 2024, adds: “Working with a renowned brand of Gucci’s caliber in Formula 1 as the title partner of the Alpine Formula 1 team is something I am incredibly proud of.”
“Not only that, I am also looking forward to the opportunities that the partnership with Gucci brings and the great things we can achieve together on a global level,” emphasizes the Italian.
“The Enstone team is known for approaching things differently than others and has already shown that fashion can compete at the front in Formula 1,” says Briatore referring to the team’s past.
The racing team from Enstone competed from 1986 to 2001 under the name Benetton and became world champion twice with Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995. Like Gucci, Benetton is a fashion company from Italy.
Even during the Benetton era, Briatore was team principal in Enstone for many years. In a way, this closes a circle for the racing team.
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