(Reuters) – Renault’s sporty car brand Alpine will sponsor Prima Pramac Yamaha, winners of last year’s MotoGP riders’ world championship with Spaniard Jorge Martin, both sides announced on Monday.
Alpine, who compete in Formula One and World Endurance Racing, will be a ‘main partner’ of the Italy-based team this season.
Pramac last year became the first independent team to win the riders’ title since Valentino Rossi did so on a non-factory Honda in 2001.
This year, having switched from Ducati to Yamaha with Martin moving to Aprilia, they will have Australian Jack Miller and Portugal’s Miguel Oliveira as their MotoGP lineup with the same specification bikes as the factory Yamaha team.
Alpine’s Formula One lineup consists of Jack Doohan, 22-year-old son of Australian MotoGP great Mick Doohan, and Frenchman Pierre Gasly.
“In addition to Formula One and the World Endurance Championship, Alpine is strengthening its presence in Motorsport by becoming involved in the MotoGP World Championship,” said Alpine’s sales director Antononi Labate.
“This alliance will create new experiences for customers and fans passionate about motorsport.”
Renault’s Italian chief executive Luca de Meo was a director of Fiat when the car giant sponsored the Yamaha factory MotoGP team from 2007-10.
Former title-winning Suzuki MotoGP boss Davide Brivio, now at the Trackhouse Racing team, was Alpine’s F1 racing director in 2021.
Formula One’s owners Liberty Media last year announced a takeover of MotoGP’s parent company Dorna. The acquisition is being investigated by the European Commission.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Christian Radnedge)
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