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Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly and FC Lorient president Loïc Féry to lead new Hexagon Cup team

The French pair are the latest to invest in padel from other sports and join Hexagon Cup team owners such as Robert Lewandowski, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.

Author

Jonathan Dyson
November 01, 2024

In the latest sign of padel’s growing appeal to professional athletes from other sports, the Hexagon Cup has announced that 10Padel, set up by Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly and the French entrepreneur Loïc Féry, will be the eighth team to join the second edition of the tournament, taking place at the Madrid Arena from 29 January to 2 February 2025.

The 28-year-old Gasly, who is currently driving in Formula 1 with the Alpine team, is now in his seventh season of the motorsport competition and achieved his first victory at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix in Monza.

Féry is the founder of alternative fund Chenavari Investment Managers and since 2009 has been owner and president of the French football club FC Lorient, who are currently second in Ligue 2.

The French pair are both avid padel players and bonded over the sport after this year’s Miami Grand Prix in May, when they played padel with Dani Homedes, who jointly owns the ElevenEleven Hexagon Cup team with American actress Eva Longoria. Homedes, a former ATP tennis player, is a founder of the sports marketing agency Dara Sports and owner of the Miami-based Wynwood Padel Club.

Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly is an avid padel player. Image credit: Hexagon Cup.

In a statement released by the Hexagon Cup, Féry said: “Pierre and I played padel together after the Miami Grand Prix with Dani Homedes … and another friend of ours also involved in 10Padel.

“Since then, we have both nurtured the desire to partner with ambition in the padel world and we finally agreed to become the owners of the eighth franchise of the Hexagon Cup. That is how 10Padel was born.”

The entry of 10Padel means the lineup is now complete for the 2025 Hexagon Cup, which will feature eight teams compared to the six that competed in January 2024.

It follows the announcement last month that Krü Padel by Taktika, owned by Krü Esports – the esports club created by Argentine football stars Sergio Agüero and Lionel Messi – are also to enter a team in next year’s tournament.

Other team owners include the Poland and Barcelona footballer Robert Lewandowski and tennis stars Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.

The Hexagon Cup also received a boost this week with the confirmation that DAZN will broadcast the tournament for the second consecutive year. The UK-based streaming platform will make all the matches available for viewers to watch for free.