Travis Kelce 'thrilled' to add new F1 investment with Patrick Mahomes to spicy portfolio
Travis Kelce is ready to watch sparks fly.
Not his girlfriend Taylor Swift performing the "Speak Now" song. But the intensity of a Formula 1 race.
The All-Pro tight end − along with his Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes − has joined the investment group supporting the Alpine Racing Formula 1 team.
Otro Capital made the announcement on Tuesday that the group welcomed the two Super Bowl champions ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas this weekend. In June, the group pledged $212 million (€200 million) for a 24 percent stake in the French team, which is currently sixth in the series' constructor standings with drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
"I am thrilled to lead an investor group and join forces with Patrick and the team at Otro Capital on this exciting venture with Alpine F1," Kelce said in a statement. "Our shared passion for excellence and innovation forms the cornerstone of this partnership. It’s about being able to contribute to a sport that demands precision, teamwork, and relentless pursuit of success. I am looking forward to this new chapter and can’t wait to see what we achieve together."
Mahomes attended this year's Miami Grand Prix and expressed his excitement in adding Formula 1 to his sports investment portfolio.
"I’ve always had a passion for all sports. The opportunity to lead an investor group with Travis in Alpine F1 alongside Otro Capital was one I couldn’t pass up," he said in a statement. "It’s an exciting time for the sport and this is an opportunity to bring our shared values to the world stage. I’m looking forward to being a part of its growth."
What are Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes' other investments?
Kelce also has an investment in Mexican hot sauce Cholula. He purchased his stake in 2019 and got a big payday a year later when spice manufacturing company McCormick bought the company for $800 million.
Patrick Mahomes has stakes in other sports teams, including the NWSL's Kansas City Current, MLS's Sporting Kansas City and MLB's Kansas City Royals. He also has an investment in fast food chain Whataburger, which he's helped bring to his new hometown from his home state of Texas.
In August, the two teammates invested in Chicken N Pickle, a Kansas City-based pickleball entertainment chain (think TopGolf), as the company prepares to expand across the country.
Who are the other investors in Alpine's F1 team?
Otro Capital welcomed the two Super Bowl champions to its investment group in Alpine as well as four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, soccer stars Trent Alexander-Arnold and Juan Mata, entrepreneur Roger Ehrenberg and former heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Joshua.
In June, the Renault Group, which backs Alpine, said that actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who have made a splash in the sports world with Wrexham AFC, became investors in the team along with fellow actor Michael B. Jordan.
What are F1's ties with the NFL?
Formula 1 works with the Miami Dolphins as Hard Rock Stadium hosts the Miami Grand Prix and is the home stadium for the NFL team. At the inaugural race in 2022, the winners were given football helmets instead of ball caps to wear on the podium and Dan Marino handed out the trophy.
Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton is part-owner of the Denver Broncos. He is a member of the Walton-Penner ownership group, which purchased the franchise last summer for a record $4.65 billion.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes join Alpine F1 investment group
