F1 star Pierre Gasly fulfils ‘lifelong dream’ by becoming co-owner of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry’s former club
FORMULA ONE driver Pierre Gasly has invested a small part of his multi-million fortune in French football club FC Versailles.
The historic club once boasted names including Thierry Henry and Hatem Ben Arfa.
Gasly, 28, has purchased a stake in FC Versailles – a club in the Parisian suburbs who were recently promoted to the French third tier.
The Alpine driver is a huge football fan and supports French giants Paris Saint-Germain, as he often flaunts the club jersey around the F1 paddock.
The proud Frenchman will join the semi-professional club as a joint shareholder alongside President Alexandre Mulliez, and his partner Fabien Lazare.
The Versailles-based outfit are best known for having Henry as part of their youth set up in the 1990s.
His official statement read: “I am delighted to get involved with FC Versailles.
“I have always wanted to get involved in professional football.
“With Alexandre and Fabien, we share values, ambition and a keen competitive spirit which will allow us to positively develop the club.
“This is the start of a very beautiful story. Go Versailles!”
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The club currently occupies the 10th position in the French third division.
Gasly reportedly connected with Mulliez through shared acquaintances.
But his disastrous start to the 2024 F1 season has somewhat clouded his new business venture.
During opening weekend at the Bahrain GP he finished 18th, while the following week he was dead last in Saudi Arabia.
As a result, he is rock bottom of the Drivers World Championship standings.
In terms of investments, it’s been less than a year since Alpine garnered attention from notable figures across sport and entertainment.
The consortium of investors is made up of Otro Capital, RedBird Partners and Maximum Efforts Investments.
The latter is led by Hollywood actors and Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Anthony Joshua, golfer Rory McIlroy, and footballers Trent Alexander-Arnold and Juan Mata have also invested in the F1 team through Otro Capital.