Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce own a stake in the BWT Alpine F1 team. They became part owners and investors in the team, previously called Renault, in 2022. Since then, they’ve been hands-on, helping the team aim for growth and success in Formula One racing.
They also co-own another sports team that doesn’t get much attention in Kansas City, mostly because it’s a global sport rather than a local one. That team is the same BWT Alpine F1, a French-based outfit competing in Formula One, that once upon a time, scored doubles points every race, and even won races and championships. It hasn't been great the last few years, even though they finished very strong last year. And, we knew going into the 2025 season that they would be a bit behind due to the focus on development of their 2026 car, but what happened on Saturday night was not expected.
Being owners of the team, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce follow Alpine's races everytime there is one, and I'm willing to say they weren't the most excited with what happened.
The 2025 F1 season kicked off with the Australian Grand Prix, where Pierre Gasly, the lead driver for Alpine, started the race in ninth, which was good -- that's a points finish. His teammate, Jack Doohan and a rookie in the sport, started in 14 -- not bad for his first time ever with a car that isn't great.
However, things went crumbling down pretty fast. The Australian Grand Prix was a wet race as there were rain storms in the area, and the track struggled to stay dry. This means different tires were going to be used to try and get the best grip. But, sometimes it doesn't even matter, because the rain is just so bad.
Doohan, the rookie, crashed on the first lap, effectively ending his race. Had he finished the race, he could have been in for some good points, as another rookie who started behind him in 17th, ended up finishing in fourth place.
Gasly finished in 11th place, one place outside the points. It was certainly a weekend to forget.