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The Alpine F1 Racing team is set to announce a multi-year partnership deal with Kappa. The brand is all set to be present on the cars for the Virtual Le Mans to be held next week. The Italian sportswear manufacturer is expected to be the official supplier of clothing and teamwear for the French constructor.
Kappa had previously partnered with the Sauber F1 team (now Alfa Romeo Racing) in 2018. The 2022 deal will see the French team part ways with existing apparel sponsor Le Coq Sportif, according to speculation.
With the growing popularity of the sport, more and more apparel manufacturers are looking to partner up with teams, with major brands like Puma and Under Armor already in the space.
Strong end to 2021 was important, says Alpine CEO
Esteban Ocon drove the race of his career to steer his team to their first win since rebranding, at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. The win was a statement for the team and something to look forward to. Regardless, CEO Laurent Rossi says the constant progression he is seeing at the team is an even bigger testament to the progress the team is making behind the scenes.
The French engineer-turned-exec said:
“The victory is great, don’t get me wrong. But it was obviously obtained under particular circumstances. We went and grabbed it for 65 laps, so it was deserved. But under normal races circumstances, like the past few races, that makes me pretty confident and proud of the team. So that was important, equally as much as the victory.”
Rossi is hopeful of his team's 2022 prospects as he says they 'stand to gain a lot' with the playing field transitioning to a more equal one with the regulations kicking in. Stating that the team is working hard to narrow the gap between itself and the others, he said:
“I think we have a good, different development on the engine side, which was necessary, a good development on the car side, the roadmap we set ourselves for the beginning of the year, we're respecting it.”
The team finished P5 in the constructors' standings after a strong comeback in the later stages of the season. Veteran driver Fernando Alonso took P10 in the drivers' standings while Esteban Ocon followed suit in P11.
