Kering subsidiary Gucci has entered Formula One through a new partnership with the Alpine F1 Team that will see the racing cars compete in Gucci colors starting from the 2027 championship season.
The collaboration marks the launch of a new business division called Gucci Racing, which the luxury fashion house plans to use as a platform for expanding its presence in motorsport and premium sporting experiences.
Gucci and Alpine confirmed the agreement in a joint statement released Wednesday, describing the partnership as a long-term collaboration extending beyond branding on Formula One race cars.
According to the companies, the partnership will include multiple initiatives over the coming racing seasons, including exclusive products, digital content, luxury hospitality experiences, and client-focused events linked to Formula One.
The agreement reflects the growing relationship between luxury fashion brands and Formula One, a sport that has experienced a dramatic rise in global popularity over recent years.
Luxury companies increasingly view Formula One as an attractive platform for reaching affluent international audiences, younger consumers, and premium lifestyle markets.
The sport’s expanding global reach, celebrity appeal, and rising commercial value have made it a major target for fashion and luxury groups seeking new branding opportunities.
Recent years have seen a surge in partnerships between Formula One teams and luxury brands.
LVMH signed a major 10-year Formula One agreement beginning in 2025, while other collaborations have linked Ferrari with Giorgio Armani, Aston Martin with Hugo Boss, and McLaren with TUMI.
Gucci’s entry into Formula One also highlights the increasing crossover between fashion, entertainment, and high-performance sports industries.
The relationship between Gucci and Alpine has been strengthened by the involvement of Luca de Meo, who became Kering’s chief executive in 2025.
Before joining Kering, De Meo served as chief executive of Renault, the majority owner of Alpine.
During his leadership at Renault, De Meo played a major role in promoting Alpine through Formula One as part of efforts to strengthen the brand’s international visibility and premium positioning.
His continued association with Alpine reportedly helped facilitate the partnership discussions with Gucci.
The Alpine Formula One team has undergone significant changes in recent years.
After achieving fourth place in the constructors’ championship in 2022, the team attracted major investment interest.
In 2023, a group of investors including Ryan Reynolds and RedBird Capital Partners participated in a deal that valued Alpine at approximately US$900 million.
However, the team subsequently faced difficult seasons on the track, struggling with inconsistent performance and management instability.
Despite those challenges, Alpine has shown signs of recovery this year and currently sits in fifth place in the Formula One constructors’ standings.
The Gucci partnership may provide additional commercial stability for Alpine during a period of broader restructuring within Renault.
Francois Provost, who became Renault’s chief executive in July after De Meo’s unexpected departure, has reportedly prioritized cost reductions and operational efficiency rather than large increases in racing investments.
That strategy created uncertainty surrounding the long-term financial direction of the Alpine Formula One operation.
The new Gucci agreement is therefore viewed as an important sponsorship development for the team.
Alpine’s current title sponsorship partnership with BWT, widely recognized for the team’s distinctive pink-and-blue car colors, is scheduled to conclude at the end of this season.
The arrival of Gucci Racing could significantly reshape Alpine’s visual identity beginning in 2027.
Although the companies have not yet revealed the final livery design for the race cars, the announcement suggests Gucci branding will become central to the team’s future image.
The move also demonstrates how Formula One is increasingly positioning itself as a luxury entertainment product rather than solely a motorsport competition.
The championship has expanded rapidly in North America, the Middle East, and Asia, attracting new sponsors from sectors including fashion, technology, finance, and luxury hospitality.
Formula One’s audience growth has accelerated partly due to the success of digital content strategies and streaming-focused entertainment products that have broadened the sport’s appeal to younger demographics.
Luxury brands see Formula One as particularly attractive because of its association with exclusivity, engineering excellence, global travel, and elite lifestyle culture.
For Gucci, the partnership offers an opportunity to strengthen its presence among affluent international consumers while diversifying beyond traditional fashion and retail channels.
The creation of Gucci Racing suggests the company may pursue broader motorsport-related activities in the future, potentially including merchandise collections, collaborative experiences, and lifestyle branding initiatives tied to racing culture.
Kering has been increasingly focused on revitalizing Gucci’s growth after periods of slower sales performance in the global luxury market.
The Formula One partnership could therefore become part of a wider strategy to reposition Gucci with younger luxury consumers and strengthen its cultural relevance internationally.
For Alpine, the deal provides both commercial support and increased global visibility as the team attempts to improve competitiveness on the Formula One grid.
The partnership also reinforces Formula One’s status as one of the fastest-growing global sports properties for premium sponsorship investment.
As luxury houses continue expanding into motorsport, Formula One is increasingly evolving into a platform where fashion, entertainment, technology, and elite consumer branding intersect on a global scale.
