Kansas City Chief’s star Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was in attendance at the Miami International Autodrome last week for the 2024 Miami GP. The 28-year-old was a guest of the Alpine F1 team and also met Esteban Ocon before the race.
Speaking to Ocon behind the scenes, Mahomes was quoted as saying, “I’m excited, I’m excited to watch you, man. I’m going to be the biggest fan out there.” Mahomes might well have been a lucky charm for the Frenchman who went on to score the first points of the season for himself and the team during the Grand Prix.
Mahomes’ presence in the Alpine box was due to his part-ownership of the team. Last year, a conglomerate of investors, including Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Anthony Joshua, and Rory McIlroy along with Hollywood superstar Ryan Reynolds bought a stake in the Alpine Formula 1 team.
This move meant that the investment group bought almost a 24% stake in the F1 team. According to Formula1.com, the deal was valued somewhere around $218,000,000. This took the team’s net worth to a whopping $1.4 billion.
Patrick Mahomes jumps on the F1 bandwagon with Alpine
Mahomes’ involvement with the team showcases just how popular the sport of Formula 1 has become in the United States of America. Ever since Liberty Media took over F1 and the critically acclaimed Netflix docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’ was released, the stock of the sport has risen meteorically in the US market.
After his investment in the team, Mahomes has become a paddock regular. He was even quoted by NFL.com as explaining, “I think everybody can see the appeal. I’ve been able to get to a couple races now, seeing the environment, and then obviously watching the (Formula 1:) Drive to Survive on Netflix, you see how competitive it is.”
Mahomes was not the only A-lister soaking in the atmosphere at the electric Miami International Autodrome. The third iteration of the race in the State of Florida was graced by the likes of Ed Sheeran, Tom Brady, and Tommy Hilfiger amongst many others.
Formula 1’s popularity in the United States is only growing. The Miami GP is only the first of the three races the US will host this year. The 2024 calendar still has to run the US GP at Austin, Texas, and the Las Vegas GP. And if the reports are true, a fourth race in the US might soon become a reality.
