Patrick Mahomes gets into the Formula One business

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Patrick Mahomes “jumped” at the chance to invest in a Formula One team when he was asked to join a group of celebrity backers behind the Alpine team.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, golfer Rory McIlroy and former heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Joshua were among a group of top sports names announced Tuesday as joining the Otro Capital investment.

“I think everybody can see the appeal,” Mahomes said Wednesday. “I’ve been able to get to a couple of races now, seeing the environment, you see ‘Drive To Survive’ on Netflix and how competitive it is. We were able to go to some of those races and get a little stake in the game.”

The F1 season resumes this week at the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Max Verstappen and Red Bull already have clinched the driver and team championships this season.

This week’s announcement about celebrity investors is just the latest from Otro Capital.

In June, the group announced a $218 million investment from a group that includes Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Those two had completed a $2.5 million takeover of Welsh soccer team Wrexham in November 2020. The club was thrust into the global spotlight because of its A-list owners and it later secured promotion to English soccer’s fourth division.

The announcement of sports figure investors did not say how much money the athletes had put in.

“They came to us with the opportunity. I jumped at it. I’m excited for it, having (Kelce) with me. It’ll be cool to see some of the events, maybe some of the other races other than Miami,” Mahomes said.

Asked if he thinks it could buy him a chance drive an F1 car some time, Mahomes said: “I don’t know if that’s in my contract. I know (Chiefs general manager Brett) Veach is a big F1 guy. Maybe he’ll let me cruise around the track once but those cars are a lot of money. I don’t know if they’ll let me do that.”

Alpine is currently sixth in the team standings, and French drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are 11th and 12th in the drivers standings, respectively, with five races left.

“Passion for excellence on the golf course has led me to admire the same pursuit in Formula 1,” McIlroy said. “Partnering with Otro Capital in Alpine F1 is an exhilarating venture that unites my love for sports, competition, and the relentless drive to be the best.”