Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney Paid Exactly $0 For Their Stake In F1 Team Alpine

Imagine being so famous you can pay $0 and get a chunk of a Formula 1 team. That was the case for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and their stake in Alpine.

Last month it was reported that the actors were part of an investment group that had purchased a 24% stake in Alpine's F1 team for $218.4 million.

However, what we didn't know was the breakdown within that group. Now, it's being reported that Alpine was willing to give those guys a piece of the team for nothing, at least in a monetary sense.

The Daily Mail reported that Maximum Effort Investments — which is owned by Reynolds, McElhenney, and fellow actor Michael B. Jordan — received one-tenth of the 24% stake. That 2-3% stake is worth $18-27 million, according to Insider.

Again they paid $0.00 for it.

So why did Alpine want to do that?

Simple, publicity, but perhaps not just for the Formula 1 team.

The Alpine brand — which is owned by French auto giant Renault — is only really known in the United States because of its Formula 1 team. Their flagship car the Alpine A110 isn't available in the United States.

Buuuuuuuut...

According to Car and Driver, Alpine recently confirmed that the brand will hit the US in 2027.

So, getting a few A-liters heavily involved in the brand and the team for a fraction of the team could pay off in the long. Reynolds, McElhenney, and Jordan have brought awareness of the Alpine team to people who don't follow F1.

That's great for the team, in the short run as well, but it could be huge when their line of electric cars (only electric, sorry) hits the US in a few years.

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