Gucci to Sponsor Alpine F1 Team Starting in 2027

Formula 1 is often linked with luxury, so it’s not that surprising to see a well-known luxury brand making its move into the sport. On Wednesday, it was revealed that Gucci will become the title sponsor for the Alpine F1 team beginning in 2027.

This means Gucci will take over from Alpine’s current sponsor, the European water treatment company BWT, and the team’s full name will be Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team. The team will also be swapping out its familiar blue and pink colors for Gucci’s signature palette of red, green, black, and gold.

It might seem a bit odd for a fashion label like Gucci to step into the world of Formula 1, but keep in mind that F1 has a history of unexpected ownership. For example, one of the most successful teams recently was owned by an energy drink brand.

Interestingly, this is far from the first time a clothing company has been affiliated with a racing team. Between 2020 and 2023, Red Bull’s second team, known as Racing Bulls now, was previously called Scuderia AlphaTauri, promoting the Red Bull apparel brand.

But looking at Alpine’s history, it’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time a team has taken on a fashion label as part of its name. Alpine has had quite the variety of names over the years, sometimes being referred to simply as Team Enstone.

Before being known as Alpine, the team was Renault, and prior to that it was known as Lotus. There’s a bit of a name swap—before that, yes, it was Renault again, so that adds to the confusion.

From 1986 to 2001, they were under the Benetton banner, which took over after a period of sponsorship when the team was called Tallman. So yes, it can be a bit confusing.

Yet, Benetton fielded a strong team, and Michael Schumacher secured two championships during his time with them in the mid-90s.

So, could Gucci potentially replicate that success? Alpine is shaping up to be one of the more surprising teams as we look towards 2026. They’ve lagged behind in the past, largely due to having a rather underwhelming Renault engine.

However, that’s changed with the addition of a much more robust Mercedes power unit, and now Alpine holds a solid fifth place in the constructors’ standings. Both drivers, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, have kicked off the season with promising performances.

With their current trajectory, it seems Gucci might be entering at a promising time. Of course, while the team is making strides, there’s still a considerable distance to travel to genuinely compete for weekly race victories and, ultimately, the championship.