Liberty Media F1 chief reveals Lewis Hamilton team ownership talks

Lewis Hamilton

Liberty Media F1 chief reveals Hamilton team ownership talks

The Mercedes star has previously indicated he would be keen to explore ownership options in MotoGP

Originally written by Kevin McKenna. This version is a translation.

Sunday 15 September 2024 03:00

The CEO of Liberty Media has revealed discussions over a potential ownership deal involving Lewis Hamilton have taken place.

While the seven-time drivers' champion remains fully focused on adding to his collection when he makes the move to Ferrari next season, he remains open to exploring new ventures away from the world of Formula 1.

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Hamilton is currently involved in the production of Brad Pitt's upcoming F1 movie, and also recently featured in a music video alongside pop sensation Camilla Cabello.

And speaking ahead of this year's British Grand Prix - where Hamilton secured an emotional victory - he also admitted he would be keen on pursuing opportunities in other areas of motorsport, most notably in MotoGP.

Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei owns both F1 and MotoGP

Lewis Hamilton has a keen interest in motorbike racing

Seven-time F1 champion reaches out

Earlier this year, F1 owners Liberty Media announced they had acquired the elite racing competition in a $4 billion deal, and rumours of Hamilton's interest in joining would likely be more than welcome given the company's ambitions to grow the series.

Speaking at a technology conference, CEO Greg Maffei revealed the legendary driver had already reached out.

"I think MotoGP is an unbelievably exciting product," he said, as reported by The Mirror. "To see people riding motorcycles at 220mph, six inches from each other is wild, and the overtaking there is incredibly impressive.

"It's unfortunately one that is too little known in the United States, and around the world there is interest in Asia and places.

"But the real heart of it has been Spain, Italy, to some degree France. I think there's an opportunity to expand it.

Hamilton is about to embark on his next F1 venture with Ferrari

"When we announced it, we had immediately people call up and say: 'I want to buy a team', including people like Lewis Hamilton. Why? Because they saw what happened in Formula 1 and they want to follow.

"We had major distributors call up and say they want to be involved and unfortunately I had to tell them: 'We really can't talk about it until we get EU approval'. We'd love to talk once we get it."

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Formula 1 Brad Pitt Liberty Media