It’s no secret that Formula 1 is becoming increasingly lucrative for teams, sponsors and venues.
It’s why although the 2025 F1 calendar is only 24 Grand Prix long, plenty of new countries would love to attract a race to one of their circuits.
There are currently only 10 teams on the grid in 2025, but that number looks set to increase next season when Cadillac earn an official entry.
The allure of a General Motors-backed team was too much for Formula 1 to resist after previously rejecting a bid from Andretti, providing the reasoning that the world-famous racing team wouldn’t offer enough additional value to the sport.
Toto Wolff even argued that some venues wouldn’t have been big enough to accommodate an additional team, but that suggestion appears to have been dismissed.
Audi’s upcoming takeover of Sauber highlights the desire for global brands to become involved in Formula 1, while Toyota have also started a partnership with Haas to reconnect their name with the sport.
However, it also means that the teams who currently have a Formula 1 entry are worth more than ever before.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Formula For Success Podcast, former driver David Coulthard believes a £1.18bn-valued team sense an opportunity to sell up now and quit while they’re ahead.
David Coulthard thinks Alpine are getting ready to sell their Formula 1 team
Coulthard was speaking to former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer about his career and explained: “The journey onto Alpine, you spent a relatively short period of time there.
“Was that just because you realised quite quickly that the owners of Alpine were in turmoil as we now know, they’ve decided they don’t want to make engines anymore, so they’re closing down Viry which was the location that created so many successful Renault engines over the years.
“It looks to me, these are my words, I’m not trying to put words in your mouth, it looks very much like they’re just trying to package that asset to sell it on, with the elevated valuations that F1 has today.
“Did you just sense or feel that this wasn’t something for the long term?”
READ MORE: Who is Alpine’s F1 executive adviser Flavio Briatore? Everything to know
Flavio Briatore has denied that Alpine are for sale, but the decision to shut down the Viry engines project would make moving the team on easier.
The team have a storied history in Formula 1 under various guises, and there would be many – particularly in France – who would be very sad to see it change hands.
Alpine don’t see the team changing hands any time soon, but all it would take is one tempting offer to potentially change their mind.
Otmar Szafnauer explains the difference between Alpine and other F1 teams
Szafnauer responded to Coulthard’s question about his time with Alpine – which lasted just over a year – and said: “So, when I look back at it from a macro perspective David, at the entire ownership structure of Formula 1 now.
“In the days of Eddie Jordan and Frank Williams and Ron Dennis, Adrian Reynard at British American Racing, you had owners that deeply understood racing.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
“Often came up from the lower ranks and raced themselves or were junior designers or mechanics or whatever it was.
“But they had a deep understanding of motor racing, they had a deep understanding of Formula 1.
“Even Vijay [Mallya], he raced himself in India and because of it, he had some understanding of motor racing and he left us enough time to make a difference.
“If you have a deep understanding of motor racing you know what it takes, you know that there is no messiah, there is no magic wand, it takes sustained, and long and good work to end up winning, because everyone else is competent too.
“But the new ownership isn’t like that, they have very little understanding of motor racing.”
Alpine appear to be in a much stronger position with Oliver Oakes at the helm, supported by Briatore.
However, Doohan’s short-term F1 contract with Franco Colapinto waiting in the wings suggests that the team are always thinking about the bottom line as well as results on the pitch.
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