Neither F1 nor MotoGP are any strangers to ridiculous rumors, a fact that anyone who's paid any attention to either (or both) series can tell you from experience. And you don't get to be a seven-time F1 world championship driver like Lewis Hamilton if you haven't also dealt with your fair share of rumors throughout your career.
But it looks like at least one particularly persistent rumor involving one of the UK's greatest gifts to modern F1 might have legs.
Now, ever since talks about F1 owner Liberty Media also acquiring MotoGP started in earnest, there's been speculation about Hamilton entering the MotoGP paddock, most likely as a team owner. That's to say nothing of the potential spectacle on offer if a F1/MotoGP double header was to ever materialize.
Earlier in 2024, there was a whiff of a rumor that Hamilton could be in talks to buy Gresini. A few months later, Hamilton was again linked to potential MotoGP team ownership. This time, it was with the struggling Honda team, which is definitely due for a turnaround in its fortunes after a lackluster season.
Now that we're at the end of 2024, could the third time be the charm? Maybe so, as KTM MotoGP boss Pit Beirer dropped a couple of bombshells under the mistletoe to cap off KTM's rollercoaster of a holiday season.
While the potential Liberty Media acquisition of MotoGP is currently under intense investigation by the European Commission over antitrust concerns, all parties are still currently proceeding as though the deal is already done. After all, there's literally billions of Euros, or a slightly different (but still mega) amount of dollars on the line.
In that light, Pit Beirer spoke to German motorsports stalwart Speedweek, seeking to allay fears that KTM could bow out of MotoGP prematurely due to the difficulties faced by other arms of its organization. Now, Beirer says, the KTM MotoGP is open to talks not only with potential sponsors, but also with potential investors.
Investors such as Lewis Hamilton, as it turns out.
Very specifically, Beirer said, "All I can say is that we have had very interesting discussions with his management. It is no secret that Lewis Hamilton is interested in MotoGP and is thinking about having his own team. There are concrete discussions here too."
What about Hamilton's long-term partnership with Red Bull rival Monster Energy? Beirer had an answer for this, too. " "Everyone who wants to work with us knows how close we are - Red Bull and KTM are inseparable. That has not been an issue in the negotiations so far," Beirer told Speedweek.
It's still all just talk until someone signs on a dotted line. We know this. Whether anything actually materializes from any of this remains to be seen. But literally anyone who's been paying attention to this entire mega-circus has probably been seeing the puzzle pieces fit together like this for ages.
Hamilton wouldn't be the first F1 champ to make the move to a high-level international motorcycle racing series. After all, we saw Kimi Raikkonen hop happily into a leadership role with Kawasaki in MXGP a few years back. In Hamilton's case, the timing would almost be poetic if the Liberty Media deal goes through, too.
What do you think of Hamilton potentially coming in to help rescue the KTM MotoGP team? Too little, too late, or do you think he'd be the right person to help get the team on solid footing going forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
