Esteban Ocon has revealed that he was left starstruck after Ryan Reynolds invested in Alpine, with the Frenchman being a huge fan of the Marvel cinematic universe.
The Alpine racer has previously worn a Spiderman helmet at the US Grand Prix in 2022.
Ryan Reynolds teamed up with ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ star, Rob McElhenney, to purchase 24% of the F1 team.
Ocon also told media sources he had been in touch with the Deadpool star, saying: “I was texting with him yesterday on WhatsApp.
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“I could not believe it, I was so stressed before sending a text.”
After sending Reynolds a picture of himself in an F1 simulator, Ocon received a reply from Reynolds saying: “I’m very much looking forward to not only meeting you, but learning from you.”
Ocon was evidently over the moon at this blossoming friendship, revealing he had been invited to join Reynolds on the set of Deadpool 3.
The Alpine driver said: “He told me I was invited on the set in London for the ‘Deadpool’ movie, so I’m definitely going to be going.”
“He also said that he was very much looking forward to learn(ing) from our world, see(ing) how things work, and just to have a racing chat.”
If the example of Wrexham is anything to go by, Alpine may well see a boost in their success on the circuit.
When the two Hollywood A-listers bought the Welsh non-league team in 2020, they were mired in non-league mediocrity.
Now, they have been promoted to the National League in just two seasons and are a world-famous team, thanks to the FX series ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
Alpine is in a comparable situation to 2020’s Wrexham as things stand, regarding their competitiveness.
READ: Aston Martin spark ‘reality check’ for rival team
Alpine team principal Laurent Rossi candidly admitted that Aston Martin’s progress this season has served as a reality check for his Formula One outfit.
The team’s aspiration at the start of the season was to secure fourth place behind the leading trio of Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari.
However, Aston Martin has blown them out of the water in the 2023 season, leading them by well over 100 points.