After American football and the Extreme Lewis Hamilton seems to want to join MotoGP too. From sources close to the sample of Formula 1 of Mercedes, Hamilton seems to be close to acquiring the Gresini team as reported by the English newspaper The Race. News which we report here in full:
Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is in talks with Gresini Racing to purchase the Ducati MotoGP satellite team. In a move first suggested by The Race's sources at the start of the Dutch TT weekend in Assen and then confirmed by multiple people familiar with the team's workings, Hamilton has expressed interest in acquiring Gresini from current team principal Nadia Padovani. A member of Hamilton's inner circle was even believed to have been present with Gresini at Assen last weekend, as the current Mercedes driver and his representatives explored the commercial viability of taking over the team at a key moment in MotoGP history.
MotoGP is currently in the process of being acquired by F1 owner Liberty Media, so it would be perfect for Liberty if F1's best-known rider – who has his own bike collection and is a huge MotoGP fan – was involved in a significant way in the new two-wheeled adventure. This should in theory act as a perfect “crossover episode” should Liberty want to convert some of F1's huge fanbase into MotoGP fans, provided its acquisition is approved by competition regulators, with a decision expected later this year.
The deal would also allow Hamilton to acquire a significant financial asset with minimal economic risk even for himself, with a number of his personal and current Mercedes team sponsors already involved in MotoGP and likely easily persuaded to support his new team as well adventure, with names like Petronas and Monster Energy obvious potential partners given their history in MotoGP.
Gresini is one of the most legendary teams in MotoGP, with a history dating back to the mid-1990s and leading riders of the caliber of Daijiro Kato, Toni Elias and Jorge Martin to titles in the lower classes, while stars such as Sete Gibernau, Marco Melandri and the late Marco Simoncelli fought for MotoGP titles and race victories. In 2015 it became the official Aprilia team, only to be taken over by Padovani in 2021 following the death of her husband and team founder Fausto Gresini. Gresini returned to independent status with Ducati satellite bikes for 2022 and has since gone from strength to strength, taking overall and sprint race wins with Enea Bastianini, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Alex Marquez before pulling off the coup of signing six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez from Honda for 2024.
Lewis Hamilton and Valentino Rossi
In addition to his personal collection of motorcycles, Hamilton is also an avid trackday rider and previously had a deal with MV Agusta, which produced limited edition bikes that he helped design. Hamilton has also had the chance to ride a MotoGP bike in the past, when he swapped places with Valentino Rossi legend at Valencia in 2019 through shared sponsors Monster and Petronas. There he drove Rossi's Yamaha M1 alongside the nine-time world champion before Rossi had the chance to test Hamilton's Mercedes W08 F1.
“I've always loved motorbikes,” Hamilton said at the time. “When I was younger I wanted to race motorbikes, not cars, but my father wouldn't let me, he said they were too dangerous! “It put me on four wheels instead of two. It was the right choice because if I had raced in the period in which Vale was there, I wouldn't have been so successful. “Since I've been in Formula 1 I've had a superbike and I like to do some track days. It's fascinating. It offers a different perspective."
It wouldn't be the first time Hamilton has dabbled in sports team ownership, whether in motorsport or other ventures. He was the owner of X44, which until this season competed in the Extreme E electric off-road racing series, and won the 2022 title with Dakar Rally stage winner Cristina Gutierrez and nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb. Hamilton is also part of the ownership group that took over the Denver Broncos football team in 2022, teaming with former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to join the investment group run by Walmart heir Rob Walton when they took over the team that won the 2014 Super Bowl.