The new action film focusing on two beloved Marvel characters will have a heavy presence during this weekend's Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps.
BWT Alpine F1 Team revealed on Wednesday that Esteban Ocon will have a "Deadpool & Wolverine" livery on his Formula 1 car as he makes his 147th career start. The livery will feature a red base representing Deadpool. Yellow claw marks will represent Wolverine.
Looking Marvel-ous pic.twitter.com/Byx6mhBRpB
— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) July 24, 2024
Ocon has seven career starts at the 7.004-kilometer road course in Belgium. He has an average finish of 8.3, and he has completed all but one lap. His best finish in the Belgian GP was fifth in 2020.
The antihero-centric livery is fitting for this weekend considering that it coincides with the release weekend of the third film in the "Deadpool" franchise.
Ryan Reynolds has played the titular Merc With a Mouth in two previous films. One featured Deadpool's origin story and his quest to reunite with his beloved. The second featured Deadpool working against -- and with -- Josh Brolin's Cable as he tried to prevent an apocalyptic future.
The third film, which releases six years after the second, sees Deadpool joining forces with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine for the first time. This is a team-up that Reynolds teased in the "Deadpool 2" post-credits scene.
😈 pic.twitter.com/tpdecsp5lt
— Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) July 24, 2024
Reynolds is a minority stake owner in the BWT Alpine F1 Team. According to Business Insider, American investment firms Otro Capital and RedBird Capital Partners purchased 24% of the F1 team last year for $220 million.
Maximum Effort Investments, the firm owned by Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney, was included in this deal. However, the report at the time is that the two Hollywood stars did not pay anything for their stake in the F1 team. Instead, they were to pay in "sweat equity."
Having the two celebrities involved as owners will automatically aid with PR efforts. However, the report stated that there could potentially be a documentary series following the F1 team, similar to one focused on the Wrexham football club that Reynolds and McElhenney purchased.