Gucci to become Alpine Formula One title sponsor from 2027

Rome — Luxury fashion house Gucci is set to become the title sponsor of Alpine’s Formula One team from the 2027 season, marking the first partnership of its kind between a luxury fashion brand and an F1 constructor.

The French team, led by Flavio Briatore, will race under the name "Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team" following the conclusion of its current sponsorship agreement with BWT.

The multi year agreement reflects Formula One’s growing appeal to premium global brands following the sport’s recent partnership with luxury conglomerate LVMH. Industry observers see the deal as further evidence of F1’s transformation into a global entertainment and lifestyle platform attracting audiences far beyond traditional motorsport fans.

The partnership was strongly backed by Luca de Meo, former chief executive of Renault and now head of Kering, the luxury group that owns Gucci.

"The Formula One championship has evolved far beyond sport," de Meo said. "It has become one of the world’s most influential premium content platforms, with more than 1.5 billion viewers each season and an audience that is increasingly young and increasingly female."

He described Formula One as a space dedicated to creativity, excellence and human achievement, offering luxury brands the opportunity to build long term value and global recognition.

The agreement extends beyond branding on Alpine’s cars. Gucci also announced the launch of Gucci Racing, described as a new business and experience platform built around performance, precision, discipline and excellence at the intersection of luxury and sport.

The Italian fashion house will design the team’s official clothing and is expected to influence the next livery of the Alpine cars, with black and gold replacing the blue and pink colours associated with BWT.

Francesca Bellettini, Gucci’s president and chief executive, said the move represented a landmark moment for the company.

"This partnership with Alpine opens a new chapter," Bellettini said. "Gucci becomes the first luxury fashion house to take on the role of title partner in Formula One. This reflects our ambition for the brand and the role we want Gucci to play on this global stage."

She added that Formula One represents a unique convergence of performance, culture and international reach, describing Alpine as the ideal partner to realise the vision.

For Briatore, who returned to Alpine in 2024 as an adviser and now serves as team principal, the agreement carries particular significance.

"I am incredibly proud of this collaboration with a brand of Gucci’s stature in Formula One," Briatore said. "I am equally enthusiastic about the opportunities this partnership creates and the results we can achieve together globally."

The Italian businessman, who pioneered fashion involvement in Formula One during the 1980s with Benetton, said the partnership highlighted Alpine’s growing momentum after what he described as the team’s strongest ever start to a season.

The announcement reinforces Formula One’s increasingly close relationship with the luxury sector and signals a new era in which fashion and motorsport are becoming ever more closely intertwined.

PS