Flavio Briatore confirmed that Mercedes is among those interested in purchasing a minority stake in the Alpine Formula 1 team, in a deal that could reach around US$ 750 million.
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The negotiation involves the sale of 24% of the shares currently owned by a group of private investors led by the American fund Otro Capital. Among the members of this group are well-known names, such as actors Ryan Reynolds and Michael B. Jordan, as well as NFL players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Earlier in the week, information emerged that Toto Wolff could be directly involved in a proposal, something that would place the Mercedes boss in an indirect dispute with Christian Horner, who is also said to have participated in talks about purchasing this stake.
Briatore, however, stated that the ongoing negotiations involve Mercedes as a company, and not Wolff personally: “Every day a new situation arises. I don’t know which is the latest, but what I can say is that I know there is a negotiation with Mercedes. Not with Toto, but with Mercedes, and we’ll see what happens,” said the Alpine executive consultant.
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According to the official, there are currently three or four interested parties in purchasing the stake put up for sale by the American fund: “At this moment we have three or four potential buyers. Don’t forget that we are talking about Otro’s shares, nothing to do with Alpine. It is the stake of this American investment fund,” he explained.
The team’s controlling group remains Renault, which maintains 76% of the structure. Asked if he would be interested in acquiring part of the available shares, Briatore ruled out that possibility: “No, no, no. I’m just watching. Just following what’s happening,” he added.
He also highlighted that, so far, there has been no direct contact between Alpine and Wolff on the subject: “For us, at this moment there is no communication with Toto. If someone buys these shares, we will be very happy,” Briatore concluded.
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