Mercedes is among “three or four potential buyers” for a 24% stake in rival Formula 1 team Alpine, the French team's executive adviser Flavio Briatore said Friday.
Ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, Briatore said Mercedes was keen on the minority share — held by a private equity firm which has worked with sports stars like Patrick Mahomes — but suggested it wouldn't come with influence over how Alpine is run. He also dismissed reports Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was in talks to buy the stake on his own behalf.
“Every day is a new situation. I don’t know what is the latest one, but what I say is that I know it’s a negotiation with Mercedes, not with Toto, with Mercedes, and we see. In this moment we have three or four potential buyers,” said Briatore, who has been Alpine's de-facto team boss since last year.
Asked if that could lead to conflict-of-interest concerns about Mercedes — which already supplies Alpine's engines — gaining influence over how it's run or how it votes on future rule changes, Briatore suggested any minority shareholder would be a “passenger” in those talks.
“Normally one company, 75% decide and the 25% is a passenger, and this is the reality,” Briatore said.
Mercedes did not confirm details of any involvement.
“Mercedes is a key strategic partner of Alpine and we are being kept apprised of the latest developments,” the team said in a statement.
Former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is also among the interested parties, Alpine said last month.
Alpine is majority-owned by French automaker Renault, which sold the 24% stake to a group led by private equity firm Otro Capital, which attracted attention by including sports stars like Mahomes and Travis Kelce and the actor Ryan Reynolds in its investment group.
Alpine is coming off a tough year as it placed last in the constructors' standings in 2025. Pierre Gasly earned the team's first point with 10th in Australia last week but Briatore said he wasn't pleased with the team's progress as F1 begins a new era of regulations.
“We are not happy at all. Our performance was very weak and was a combination of different factors, and we know what is the major problem we have in the car,” he said.
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