Hamilton and Verstappen in sensational 'team ownership' move

F1 stars Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are set to enter a new battle to own a motorsport team, according to reports.

With 11 drivers' world championships between them, Hamilton and Verstappen are two of the most successful drivers in the history of F1, and were involved in a fierce rivalry during the 2021 season.

Verstappen got the better of Hamilton that year, with a controversial season finale at the Abu Dhabi GP, and the Dutchman has since gone on to secure three more titles consecutively, while Hamilton has just two race wins since that final day defeat.

Hamilton is now a Ferrari driver and is still looking to once again challenge for a record-breaking eighth world title, but at 40 years of age, he is also looking at ventures outside of F1.

Now, according to Autosport, Hamilton is looking at getting involved in MotoGP, in a team ownership role, while the report also states that Verstappen is interested in a similar venture.

The rumoured moves come as MotoGP has been acquired by F1 commercial rights holder Liberty Media, with it being thought that the series is going to experience similar growth to what the American mass media company managed with F1.

Former F1 team boss Guenther Steiner has already entered into a team ownership arrangement, becoming CEO of the Tech3 team, and it's said Hamilton and Verstappen may now be in a race to do something similar with a different team.

Hamilton's interest in motorbike racing

During Hamilton's Mercedes days, the Brit was known to close down circuits for track days alongside engineer Peter Bonnington and other Mercedes team members, where they would ride around on superbikes.

Hamilton has also been influenced by nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing world champion Valentino Rossi, and has revealed tributes to the Italian in the past.

Verstappen, meanwhile, is a racing fanatic, and already owns a GT3 team, and a sim racing outfit.

Speaking to Autosport, Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen revealed his thoughts around a potential move into MotoGP for the Dutchman: "Max is a big racing enthusiast in general. He is very involved in the GT3 division with his Verstappen.com team. It’s no secret that he is also interested in MotoGP, but thinking about buying a team is not a realistic goal at this moment.

"Everything would have to fall into place perfectly, and the chances of that happening imminently are minimal."

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