The Denver Broncos have confirmed that the seven-time world champion has become one of the owners of the franchise.
Hamilton’s investment was revealed in a tweet by the Broncos on Tuesday, attributed to Rob Walton, who is the heir of American retail giant Walmart.
Walton’s group takes over the Colorado team’s NFL franchise next week (subject to approval by rival team owners) ahead of the upcoming new season in a record-smashing $4.65billion deal, which is more than double the amount paid for any team in history.
The purchase makes Walton, said to be worth $58billion by Forbes, the wealthiest team owner in American Football. A collector of vintage cars, Walton made the motorsport headlines in 2012 when he crashed a $15million Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe at Laguna Seca.
“We’re delighted to welcome seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton to our ownership group,”
“He is a champion competitor who knows what it takes to lead a winning team and a fierce advocate for global equality, including 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 organization.”
“We’re delighted to welcome Seven-Time Formula One World Champion Sir LewisHamilton to our ownership group. He is a champion competitor who knows what it takes to lead a winning team.”
Said Walton.
Hamilton has owned property in Aspen, Colorado (150 miles from Denver) for some time, which he uses as his winter off-season retreat for his training programme.
Since winning Super Bowl 50 in 2016, the Broncos have never made the playoffs. But the team has been tipped to perform strongly this season, which starts next month.
Source: motosport.com
