Xbox has announced a new partnership with the BWT Alpine F1 team as a part of a multi-year deal that will see Xbox become the Official Console Partner for the Formula 1 team, with Xbox logos showing on the nose cone of the team's A523 cars alongside the existing Microsoft logo. PC Game Pass will also become an official partner of the team with logos adorning the livery of the car, expanding Microsoft's push for Xbox into various sports categories.
The BWT Alpine F1 team have been competing in Formula 1 for over 35 years under many different guises, however, Microsoft first began sponsoring the team back in the 2012 season when the team competed under the Lotus name with its Microsoft Dynamics brand, further expanding that to include Microsoft Lumia devices in 2015 before expanding to fully sponsor the team under its Renault guise in 2017.
Jerret West, CVP of Gaming Marketing for Xbox said “Today’s announcement with Alpine continues our push to reach more fans around the world through their love of sports. Motorsports is one of the most exciting sports categories in the world, with a diverse fanbase that comes together to embrace the thrill of competitive racing. Xbox and Alpine share common values when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, and we look forward to bringing the joy and community of gaming and racing to more people around the world through this exciting partnership."
The logos will appear on both cars from the next race, which will be held in Japan at the Suzuka International Racing Course on 24 September 2023. They will also appear alongside the existing Microsoft logos as a part of the garage and on both of the driver's (Pierre Gasly & Esteban Ocon) race suits.
