Ryan Reynolds and partner Rob McElhenney, along with Reynolds company, Maximum Effort, Michael B. Jordan, and others invested more than $200 million dollars into the Alpine F1. The deal had caught widespread attention and media frenzy. Fans hailed Reynolds and co as visionary entrepreneurs who were destined to revive Alpine’s lagging fortunes. However, months after the deal, the former Alpine Chief reveals why the Reynolds-led group faces an uphill task.

The Alpine F1 team has been struggling to keep up with the pace of the top teams in Formula 1 this season. Despite having talented drivers like Esteban Ocon, the team has only scored 57 points so far, placing them sixth in the standings. Former team principal, Cyril Abiteboul, reveals the reason behind their lackluster performance. In talks with Motorsport-Total, Abiteboul hinted at power struggles and over-confidence as plaguing causes.

Alpine has two leaders, Marcin Budkowski and Davide Brivio, who jointly oversee the team’s operations. Budkowski takes charge of the chassis and powertrain development, while Brivio assumes the role of racing director. Nonetheless, this setup has led to some ambiguity and disagreements among team members.

“… there was perhaps a certain arrogance or overconfidence at the start of the season,” added the former chief. He says that the team has a lot to sort out before it can compete with the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes. However, before it looks outward, it has to solve the power tussles within and bring unanimity.

Furthermore, the struggles of the team do not end there. It might be surprising to know that even after this huge investment, the team might still face a financial crunch.

Ryan Reynolds-led investment is still not sufficient to end Alpine F1’s misery

After Abiteboul’s exit, the team had to undergo a complete structural revamp. Every organizational plan and order was reframed, which caused a lot of confusion for the crew and drivers. “You need a driver who is also a kind of team boss,” the former chief added. His emphasis was on the fact that the current drivers who are leading Alpine are not giving the head start that the team requires. As of the current season is languishing far behind other teams.

Additionally, now comes an issue of financial crunch. They must adhere to F1’s budget cap of $145 million, which restricts their expenditure on car development and performance enhancements. Additionally, they face the consequences of the pandemic, which has resulted in reduced sponsorships and prize money. Although Ryan Reynolds and co injected $200 million into the team, it falls short of bridging the gap to compete with the leading teams. Finally, it remains to be seen if Ryan Reynolds can turn the fortunes of this team just like he did with Wrexham AFC.

Do you follow Alpine F1? What are your thoughts about Ryan Reynolds being able to turn its fortunes?