Alpine has officially announced a structural change in its commercial partnerships for the upcoming Fórmula 1 seasons. The French team has reached a commercial agreement with the luxury brand Gucci. The contract will come into effect after the 2027 championship. With the new agreement, the team will end a four-year cooperation with BWT, a company that operates in the water treatment systems segment and was responsible for printing the pink hue on the French team’s cars.
The partnership removes the previous visual identity of the blue cars. The financial values involved in the negotiation were not detailed by any of the corporations involved. The team confirmed that the engineering team and drivers will compete in the traditional colors of the Italian brand in the first year of the contract. The agreement represents a break from standards in the sponsorship market in the main category of world motorsport.
The arrival of the brand changes the visual dynamics of the runways. Diversas teams from the current grid maintain smaller-scale contracts with international haute couture brands. Ferrari has a business association with Armani for the exclusive supply of travel uniforms and formal attire to pilots and directors. The French team’s movement moves beyond this traditional licensing format. Esta will be the first occasion in the history of Fórmula 1 in which a high fashion brand directly assumes the role of master sponsor of a team.
Nova racing division changes official name of French team
Business cooperation resulted in the founding of Gucci Racing. The European brand’s in-house department was designed specifically to manage sports marketing operations and the development of products associated with elite motorsport. Essa new corporate division will be integrated directly into the official team nomenclature in Federação Internacional’s Automobilismo registration lists.
From the 2027 world championship onwards, the team will be called Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team. The transition process will begin to be planned internally by the legal and marketing departments of both companies in the coming months. The new uniforms for mechanics and drivers will be presented before pre-season testing.
- The agreement removes the pink color from Fórmula 1 cars
- The team’s nomenclature now features the Italian brand
- The Gucci Racing division takes over the coordination of sporting actions
- The contract begins practical effects in the 2027 season
- The BWT brand ends its four-year cycle as main sponsor
Flavio Briatore repeats commercial strategy used in Benetton
The current executive advisor of Alpine has a direct connection with the last registration of a clothing brand playing the role of master sponsor on the grid. Flavio Briatore took on the role of commercial director of the Benetton team in the 1989 season. The Italian businessman expanded his internal influence in the British organization and gained full control of the team’s operations in the 1991 championship.
Benetton competed in the Fórmula 1 world championship between 1986 and 2001. The team won world drivers’ and constructors’ titles in the 1990s using the clothing company’s name centrally. Flavio Briatore highlighted that the partnership with the Italian brand represents an important milestone for the global ambitions of the Enstone-based organization. The manager highlighted his pride in connecting Alpine to a prestigious international brand.
The French team occupies fifth place in the constructors’ world championship. The team has 35 points on the 2026 season leaderboard. The current sporting performance exceeds the total performance obtained by the organization throughout the previous year’s championship. The board hopes to use the financial stability generated by the new contract to invest in the technical development of engines and chassis aimed at the new category regulations.