Could Ineos Grenadiers be about to launch a new identity, with TotalEnergies coming on board?
This year, speculation has been rife regarding the Jim Ratcliffe-backed team's long-term future, particularly after reporting of financial pressures at his other sporting endeavour, Manchester United. In January, CEO John Allert said that the team are looking to "bring other people" on their "journey" in order to grow their overall budget.
Allert confirmed at the time that the team will continue to exist into the next WorldTour cycle, but it now seems this could be as a rebranded project with French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies coming on board to provide more capital. A story in Escape Collective this week revealed that there are negotiations taking place, and if successful, the partnership will come into play from 2026.
It is no secret that the team has fallen behind in the race for WorldTour supremacy, and extra financial aid from another company - which Ineos already works with - could help them tip the scales back in their favour after the squad's worst year on record in 2024.
Sources have previously suggested to Cycling Weekly that if things move quickly, the TotalEnergies/Ineos rebrand could be launched at this summer’s Tour de France. But the possibility of the French ProTeam receiving a wild card invite to their home Grand Tour makes this an unlikely eventuality, at least for now.
In the past months, and this week, Ratcliffe's decisions at Manchester United have come under intense scrutiny, so this move could pave the way for a lessening of his cycling commitments. The billionaire is said to be unwilling to invest more than the 50 million euros that he reportedly spends in cycling on an annual basis.
There has also been an announcement that Manchester United have plans for a new stadium, a proposal which will require an astronomical financial undertaking. It remains hugely obvious that the Manchester-based football club is now the cycling team owner's main priority, but where will this leave Ineos Grenadiers in the future? A second sponsor seems to be an answer.
Whether that sponsor will satisfy fans is another question. When Team Sky became Team Ineos in 2019, there were concerns over Ineos due to the company producing plastics and its links to fracking. Critics made their opinions known on the team's first race day at the Tour de Yorkshire, and a similar thing could happen if TotalEnergies come on board.
Climate activists in France targeted TotalEnergies headquarters in Paris last year, with the French oil and gas giant criticised over its lack of movement on the climate crisis. Similarly, British Cycling received high levels of criticism when they announced their partnership with Shell in 2022, so you can imagine it happening again.
Ineos and TotalEnergies obviously aren't alone in being petrochemical companies in cycling, though, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG backed by XRG, a company run by Abu Dhabi's Adnoc oil company, while Bahrain-Victorious are supported by Bapco Energies, Bahrain's oil and gas company. The British nature of the squad does mean it seems to attract more attention, however.
In order to achieve their future ambitions and get back on track in the "super team" arms race, Ineos will need a new star rider to replace Tom Pidcock, who moved to Q36.5. Geraint Thomas has also said he will retire at the end of the season. New funding from Total could help to bridge that gap and allow them to compete for high-profile riders who currently are bound for UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Visma-Lease a Bike.
The new funding from France could also mean a shift in national identity for the team. Most major WorldTour squads are registered in the country in which their lead sponsors operate - from Visma in the Netherlands to Movistar in Spain. TotalEnergies taking up co-title sponsorship does not necessarily mean a move to France for Ineos Grenadiers, but it could be something to watch out for.
Despite being proudly British himself, Ratcliffe is believed to be based in Monaco, and the team have less of a British identity than ever at the moment - they have six British riders, and have already signed Axel Laurance, an up-and-coming French talent. A French sponsor could shift things further away from the UK.
It is also unclear what the new partnership with Ineos could mean for the currently existing TotalEnergies, the former ProTeam of Peter Sagan. It is unlikely both would continue in the universe where their parent company also funded a WorldTour team, so there might be more drama to come.
