Lewis Hamilton has entered the world of American sports by becoming a co-owner of NFL franchise the Denver Broncos.
Hamilton had been searching for an investment opportunity with a large sports team, and had previously been linked with Premier League club Chelsea. In April it was revealed he and tennis legend Serena Williams were part of Sir Martin Broughton's bid to buy the Blues.
But Todd Boehly was the man who eventually took over the London club. Since then, it appears the seven-time world champion has turned his attention Stateside, with the news confirmed on Tuesday that he had invested in the Broncos.
The team was bought earlier this year by Walmart heir Rob Walton in a huge £3.87bn deal. "We're delighted to welcome seven-time Formula 1 world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton to our ownership group," said the team's new owner.
"He is a champion competitor who knows what it takes to lead a winning team and a fierce advocate for global equality, including in his own sport. With over 100 race wins Lewis is considered the most successful F1 driver of all time. His resilient spirit and standard of excellence will be an asset to the ownership group and the Broncos organisation."
The team's star quarterback Russell Wilson was one of the first to sent his best wishes to Hamilton on his new venture. "Congrats @LewisHamilton. Winning is a Habit! #LetsRide," he wrote on Twitter.
And Hamilton himself said: "Excited to join an incredible group of owners and become a part of the @Broncos story! Honoured to work with a world class team and serve as an example of the value of more diverse leadership across all sports." He then added: "Roscoe already thinks he made the team," accompanied by a photo of his faithful hound wearing Broncos apparel.
https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/1554468730058539008
By buying this stake in the Broncos, Hamilton has expanded his already significant investment empire. He has now added an NFL team to the farm, grocery app and meat-free burger company he is already involved in.
Not that the 37-year-old plans on quitting his racing career any time soon. "I am in that part of my career that the people I came up with and race with for so long are starting to stop," he told reporters in Hungary last weekend. "Before you know it, Fernando [Alonso] will not be there and then who is after that? I will be the oldest I guess.
"It has not made me think about that because I am thinking about how I can improve this car, what the next step is we need to get this team winning again, what is the road map to winning another world championship.
"When I talk about fuel left in the tank, I am still fighting for those things and I still feel I have plenty to go. More likely than not, if I stop, I will still have fuel left in the tank, I don't think I'm going to go as far as completely burnt out and have nothing left but hopefully that's a long way off."
