FIA now ‘likely’ to block Mercedes from buying Alpine stake as F1 rivals join McLaren opposition

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The FIA is now likely to block Mercedes from buying Otro Capital’s shares in Alpine, it is thought, after McLaren CEO Zak Brown gained an ally in Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

It is widely known that American private equity firm Otro Capital is looking to sell its stake in Alpine, having seen the value of F1 teams skyrocket since it bought the shares from Renault. Otro Capital paid Renault £171m for the stake in 2023, but it is now said to be worth £560m.

Several interested parties have informed Renault about their interest in possibly buying Otro Capital’s stake in Alpine, including Mercedes and their team principal Toto Wolff. Former Red Bull boss Christian Horner has also shown serious interest in becoming a co-owner of Alpine.

Mercedes reportedly want to buy a 24% stake in Alpine, but should this be allowed?

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The FIA does not want Mercedes to buy a minority or a significant stake in the Alpine F1 team

A report by GPToday recently noted that Otro Capital’s 24% stake in Alpine is worth $750m (£560m), yet Mercedes intentionally made a much lower offer to Renault for the shares. The Silver Arrows bid ‘significantly’ low, as Wolff sees Alpine’s Mercedes engine deal as leverage.

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But while Mercedes may feel they have leverage over Renault as the French giant weighs up who to sell Otro Capital’s shares in Alpine to, it is now thought that the FIA is ‘likely’ to block any deal. The FIA does not want Mercedes to get a ‘significant’ or a ‘minority’ shareholding.

That is according to Auto Action (May 2026, page 24), which reports that the FIA believes it will make ‘little sense’ to allow Mercedes to buy shares in a second team when its president Ben Sulayem has joined McLaren CEO Brown in calling for an end to multi-team ownership.

It emerged last week that Brown has sent a letter to the FIA demanding it ends multi-team ownership in Formula 1, without specifically citing Mercedes’ interest in Alpine but noting issues with how Red Bull use their sister team Racing Bulls to freely move staff and drivers.

McLaren are not believed to be alone among the other F1 teams in holding concerns about Mercedes’ interest in buying a stake in Alpine, either. It is said to be ‘quite clear’ that other teams are ‘worried’ about the political power Mercedes would enjoy with shares in Alpine.

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The opposition that Mercedes and Wolff can expect from the FIA, Ben Sulayem and rival F1 teams may clear a path for Horner to buy Otro Capital’s stake in Alpine. Horner has lucrative backers, as well, as he can ‘guarantee’ Alpine an annual sponsorship package worth £75m.

However, recent reports have also claimed that Renault would favour selling the 24% stake in Alpine to Mercedes instead of allowing Horner to return to the paddock with the Enstone outfit. Renault will control which party buys Otro Capital’s shares in Alpine until September.

It may be a while yet, then, before Otro Capital can cash in on its investment in Alpine, with the opposition to Mercedes’ interest in the 24% shares growing among the F1 paddock and within the FIA. Horner, meanwhile, will be tracking events unfold closely from the sidelines.