As cryptocurrencies are more and more present in the world of Formula 1, we went to meet Guillaume Vergnas, to find out more about Alpine’s actions in Web3. From esports to NFTs and fan tokens, many pillars are explored to provide the best possible experience for fans.
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Comment Alpine F1 Team s’engage-t-elle dans le Web3 ? Interview de Guillaume Vergnas
Alpine’s journey in Web3: interview with Guillaume Vergnas
Cryptocurrencies and the Web3 invite themselves into all areas, and Formula 1 (F1) is no exception. One of the most notable partnerships is that between Binance and Alpine, whose steering wheel of the two single-seaters is occupied by French pilots Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. The latter had also told us about his experience with cryptocurrencies during Paris Blockchain Week:
🎙️ Thanks to @binance we were able to interview #F1 champion 🚗 @PierreGASLY at @ParisBlockWeek. Here’s how he discovered #Bitcoin and how the #metavers can turn the world of F1 upside down? 🤔 $BTC pic.twitter.com/36ME7hmUQm
— Cryptoast (@CryptoastMedia) March 27, 2023
To go further on the subject, we had the opportunity to discuss with Guillaume Vergnas, director of e-sport, Web3 and Gaming, based at the Alpine F1 Team factory in Enstone in England, where the team’s single-seaters are built.
How did you discover the world of cryptocurrencies?
“Already through the stock markets that I followed, but it was really during the Covid with one of our data scientist engineers who was my roommate in Enstone, next to the Formula 1 factory. He taught me mining Bitcoin and ETH on my laptop and desktop PC, we kept talking about it and exploring use cases. It really got me into the subject, and later thanks to the discussions of partnerships such as Binance. »
At his level, Guillaume supervises the various actions carried out in terms of “fan engagement”, one of the most symbolic of which is the ALPINE fan tokenwhich notably offers voting power to its holders on subjects such as the design of the shoes worn by pilots, for example.
This token can also give access, depending on the quantity owned and fan level, to merchandise such as caps autographed by the pilots. More recently, the team presented a new collection of non-fungible tokens (NFT) of 6,000 digital posters for each grand prix, of which a few very rare copies can entitle you to a visit to the Alpine factory.
As the Web3 industry is still very young, Guillaume Vergnas explains that Alpine does a lot of “test-and-learn to find out what works or notwith fans.
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Alpine’s debut in Web3
For many, cryptocurrencies are still a very vague concept and Web3 is even more so. While democratization is on the way, there is still a long way to go for widespread adoption. It is therefore interesting to know how traditional companies are embracing this revolution.
How is the Web3 universe perceived at Alpine among people who are not familiar with cryptocurrencies?
“People don’t understand right away, but it takes a lot of education and presentation internally. The advantage is that we have this possibility in Formula 1 to test things and quickly see the impact. It’s an ecosystem where there can be an idea on a design, and two weeks later it’s on the car at the next Grand Prix. We have this flexibility in the decision-making process and behind it we arrive with results. »
What was Alpine’s first experience in this area?
“The first experience we did was a collection on Revv Racing from Animoca Brands in 2021, where you need to buy a car in NFT to play the game. We worked with an independent designer to make 5 liveries different from the Alpine GTA Concept. It was in the middle of a bull market and the 5 cars sold at auction for around 300,000 dollars, so it was a case study that attracted a lot of internal interest. »
In addition, Guillaume Vergnas explains to us that this gaming experience was one of the first in the world of automotive NFTs. So it was “the genesis of NFT at Alpineeven before the arrival of fan tokens with Binance. In addition, it was first intended to be a gaming project before even being a Web3 project.
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Web3 actions increasingly present
With the arrival of the Alpine fan token in February 2022 and the partnership with Binance, Alpine’s Web3 shift has accelerated. Today, more than 266,000 people own at least one token and its capitalization is approximately $35 million at the time of this writing.
Can you give us other examples of Alpine’s actions in the Web3 ecosystem?
“We organized the Alpine Esports Series on the Assetto Corsa Competizione racing game. We were able to deliver cash prices in Alpine tokens. Last year and this year, approximately $100,000 was distributed in this way. »
Moreover, the prizes are not limited only to the participants, but also to the spectators, who could watch the races live on Twitch:
“We don’t just pay for player performance, but also for fan participation, that’s a new case study that we discovered. Concretely, we used the technology of Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP), when you watched a race live, you could flash a QR code which appeared, giving the right to an NFT which was actually part of a 3D car . There were 6 shards to collect from each of the 6 races, which would then be used to assemble a car that could be used in the game.”
For Guillaume Vergnas, Web3 is also gamify the fan experience : “you do something with the brand and you get something back“.
Does Alpine work with other crypto partners besides Binance?
“We also have a partnership with QANplatform, a layer 1 blockchain that aims to be “quantum restistant”. As far as we are concerned, we are working on telemetry projects in e-sport in particular. We manage to collect a lot of in-game data, for example on braking, acceleration or cornering, and it is interesting for us for learning. We are therefore looking to develop a system that allows this information to be locked on the blockchain, so that it appears in game at the right time. »
In addition, QANplatform is helping Alpine with a very specific POAP application case:
“For example, we have a POAP on a piece of content in Enstone. The problem is that I can take a picture of the QR code and then send it to a friend in New York who can retrieve the NFT without being there. So we’re working on technology to prevent that from happening. »
There are many examples and this exchange showed us the richness of the possibilities that were offered by Web3 technologies in many areas. On this point, Alpine is just recruiting a Web3 project manager in the premises of Enstone, to develop all these different axes. Applications are open until April 25.
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I timidly discovered the world of blockchain at the end of 2018 during my quest for financial freedom. Initially invested moderately, it was only two years later that I took the gamble of betting everything on the movement that was taking shape then. I then dedicate 2021 to training myself better to acquire more knowledge and seriousness. As I often like to say: I still have a billion things to learn. And what I do know, I want to share with you.
Vincent Mayor
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