Danny Herbert

Alpine has signed a deal with the Hexagon Cup Padel Tournament to become its official title sponsor in 2025, but that’s not all!

The tournament will “bring together the world’s greatest players in franchises run by celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Andy Murray and Kun Aguero” – each associated with a team competing in the tournament.

But these are not the only celebrities getting in on the padel action. Alpine F1 driver, Pierre Gasly will create an all-new padel team, named ’10 Padel’, that will take part in the Alpine Hexagon Cup itself. The Frenchman has linked up with entrepeneur, Loïc Fery to curate this team.

Gasly revealed his 10 Padel team is competing to “make a mark” and bolster padel’s presence on the world sporting stage.

This writer has recently been planning a story on how and why so many F1 drivers these days have taken up the likes of golf and padel to hone their skills. So, when this particular news broke, it made that notion all the more interesting.

Padel is one of the world’s most pre-eminent emerging sports, combining elements of tennis and squash, played in doubles format. The relatively small court is enclosed by walls that the ball bounces off to add a critical element of strategy to the mix.

There’s certainly no sign of F1 drivers’ respective interests in padel hitting a wall any time soon though, with the sport offering the perfect blend of agility and skill sharpening with a lesser potential for injury compared to other sports which may creep into the territory of driver contract exclusions.

In fact, let’s hear more on padel directly from someone who knows a little more on the matter! Former Alpine Academy driver and current McLaren F1 driver, Oscar Piastri told the Stompcast podcast: “We take it far too seriously, yes. But it’s very good fun and a good way of keeping yourself awake.”

“I think just getting the adrenaline, getting your heart rate up, kind of keeps you awake a little bit. I don’t drink coffee, so I don’t rely on that to keep me awake, which bites me sometimes, but I think overall, probably not a bad thing.”

Alpine themselves say that padel reflects the car manufacturer’s DNA through its “quest for sporting performance, lightness and agility.”

It’s worth noting Alpine were already involved with the Hexagon Cup in 2024, renewing its partnership for 2025 but in a more substantial capacity. This time involving a title sponsorship deal that adds to the brand’s visibility.

The manufacturer’s logo will appear on the main courts, with its current A110 model, and the brand new A290, on display at the Madrid Arena. There is also set to be an Alpine fan activation area open during the tournament that runs from 29th January to 2nd February 2025.