Hollywood in F1: Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney purchase Alpine stake

Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are still on a high following the promotion of Wrexham AFC into the EFL. It seems that their euphoria from the success has pushed them to dip their toes into the high octane world of Formula 1.

It has been reported that the pair of actors and good friends recently bought a stake with the Alpine F1 racing team. The UK based team was formerly known as Renault, and is one of the most storied teams in the top tier of motorsport racing.

Before getting into the new F1 journey, let's take a look back at Reynolds and McElhenney's unexpected breakthrough as sports team owners.

How did the Hollywood elite suddenly end up in the sports pages?

There is no doubt that football enthusiasts suddenly found themselves bombarded with headlines about the "Deadpool" actor and the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star over the past season.

The reason behind this is their takeover of cash-strapped Welsh club Wrexham back in 2021. Since then, they have invested millions of dollars into buying back and renovating the club's Racecourse Ground. They have also funded several big transfers that have injected some much needed quality into the squad.

What made the story even more interesting is that their docu-series "Welcome to Wrexham," has piqued the interest of fans from America and across the globe who may not even have been fans of football and have never previously heard of Wrexham.

Although the Hollywood story may have attracted the eyeballs, it was the result on the pitch that eventually turned the story into a real fairytale. In the 2021-22 season, in just their second season in charge, the new owners managed to help the club win the National League title and more importantly, promotion into the EFL.

The promotion ended a 15-year absence from the Championship, something that many Wrexham fans thought they would no longer be able to see in their lifetime.

Needless to say, Rob and Ryan instantly became heroes in what was previously a somewhat sleepy Welsh town.

Eyes set on bigger things

Just months after enjoying massive success in the UK, it appears as though the Hollywood pair are still craving for more sporting success. Now, it has been confirmed that they will be enjoying the adrenaline rush from becoming part owners of the Alpine F1 team.

According to Sun Sport, they have acquired a 24 per cent stake in the team through a deal worth £171 million. This brings the Alpine team's value up to £706 million, and with the added attention brought by the new part-owners, sponsorship revenue might start to go up for the team as well.

Renault confirmed the deal, stating that Reynolds and McElhenney have joined a consortium of investors under Otro Capital and RedBird Capital Partners. Alpine chief executive Laurent Rossi said in a statement: "This association is an important step to enhance our performance at all levels."

He did not fail to mention that the investment will help the team's performance thanks to the boost in their budget, but they will also have an increased media profile.

More cautionary approach in F1

Even though Reynolds and McElhenney gained a lot of confidence from their success with Wrexham, it appears as though they took the cautious approach in their F1 journey. They had to learn as they went along while rebuilding Wrexham, leading to a number of hits and misses.

This time, their F1 investment is backed by experienced operators like RedBird, which is also an investor in Fenway Sports Group. For those unaware, FSG owns Liverpool FC as well as the Boston Red Sox.

Meanwhile, RedBird also has significant pedigree when it comes to sports ownership. They took over Italian Serie A giants AC Milan in 2022, and are also owners of French Ligue 1 side Toulouse.