Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are two of the biggest stars in the NFL, but their influence reaches beyond the football world.
Mahomes and Kelce are the co-owners of the Formula 1’s Alpine team, and seem to have made a lasting impact on drivers Jack Doohan and Pierre Gasly.
Doohan Showers High Praise On Mahomes and Kelce
Mahomes and Kelce joined forces in October 2023 with other prominent figures like Rory McIlroy and Anthony Joshua to buy a stake in the Alpine F1 racing team based in the United Kingdom.
Since their involvement, Alpine has posted back-to-back sixth-place finishes in the Constructors’ Championship standings in 2023 and 2024. The pair has forged a strong bond with drivers Doohan and Gasly, with the latter describing them as “special, humble guys [and] down to earth,” in an interview with PageSix.
Doohan further shared that it was a great experience chatting with the two about the similarities and differences in their sports.
“They’re also dedicated to their sport and their bodies and working towards their goals, so it’s great to see that reciprocated and, for us, to be able to chat about our differences in sport,” the 22-year-old said.
“It’s just good to pick the brains of the differences — and the time differences — of how much time we’re, let’s say, working and not working,” he added.
Doohan concluded, “It’s great to have these huge and well-respected names on board.”
F1’s popularity has surged in recent years, as evidenced by Netflix’s incredibly successful “Drive to Survive” docuseries. This was part of the reason Mahomes and Kelce decided to lead the investment group that poured $218M into the sport.
“I think everybody can see the appeal,” Mahomes said in 2023. “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.”
“Any time you get an opportunity to get in on that, I mean I’m as competitive as anyone can get, so hopefully it can open up to some great opportunities and we are able to go to some of those races and have a little stake in the game.”
Mahomes is also part of the ownership group for Sporting Kansas City in the MLS, the Kansas City Royals in MLB, and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Kansas City Current. At the same time, Kelce’s only investment in a sports team is Alpine.