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When Pierre Gasly lines up for the United States Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday, he’ll have a small fan club nearly 5,000 miles away: Shottery United, the Sunday league side near Stratford-upon-Avon with the French Formula 1 driver’s name on its shirts.
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How an F1 driver came to sponsor Shottery United
Shottery United play in Division Two of the Evesham Sunday League, with home games at Five Acres in Littleton, near Evesham. Several of the players work for Gasly’s team, Alpine, whose Formula 1 factory is at Enstone in Oxfordshire, about 25 miles from Stratford.
In March, Sam Weaver, who co-runs the club, told the Stratford Herald: “Alpine are our local F1 team and a few of our lads work there in various roles.” He added: “Pierre loves his football and he decided to sponsor us, so we managed to place his name on our new kit.”
His support goes beyond the kit, the Herald reported: he sends the team video messages and voice notes, and said he planned to come and watch a game. That spring the side were eighth in the division and had reached the final of the league’s Bluck Cup for the second time, beating Stour Excelsior 2–1 in the semi-final with goals from Weaver and Tom Gardner.
Pierre Gasly’s 2026 season so far
Gasly, 30, is a Formula 1 race winner: he won the 2020 Italian Grand Prix at Monza for AlphaTauri, and has driven for Alpine since 2023. After 17 rounds of the 2026 championship he’s 10th in the drivers’ standings with 41 points, according to Formula 1’s official results. His best finish this year was sixth in China, and he’s scored points in nine Grands Prix, including seventh places in Japan, Monaco, Barcelona and Italy.
When to watch Gasly in Austin (UK times)
The United States Grand Prix is at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas:
| Session | UK time |
|---|---|
| Qualifying | Saturday 24 October, 10pm |
| Race | Sunday 25 October, 8pm |
The clocks go back an hour in the early hours of Sunday, so the race starts at 8pm on the new time. After Austin come Mexico City (30 October to 1 November) and São Paulo (6 to 8 November).
Following Shottery United
Sunday league football is free to watch. Shottery United post news and match updates on Instagram (@shotteryunitedfc), the easiest place to check when and where they’re playing.
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Alex Harrington
Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.
