Lewis Hamilton refused to rule out joining a consortium to buy Manchester United if the club's much derided current owners agree to sell.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is no stranger to investing in sports team, having recently become a part-owner of NFL franchise the Denver Broncos. He has also been part of a previous attempt to buy a top Premier League club, when Sir Martin Broughton was in the running to take over Chelsea.
Hamilton has a close business relationship with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has expressed an interest in a takeover of United. The club's current owners, the Glazer family, are widely disliked by the club's fanbase due to a range of issues.
So new owners would be very welcome by most fans of the Red Devils. Perhaps that is why Hamilton, who was a boyhood Arsenal fan, might have some interest in joining Ratcliffe if he were to put together a consortium and attempt a takeover.
Asked about it at this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix, the Mercedes star said: "It’s the first time I’ve heard of it, so I haven’t had time to catch up with Jim since I was in Namibia, which I need to do because he goes to Namibia quite often.
"Jim's part boss but partner – I'd say we're more partners because we're in this together, and I hope in future to do something with Jim and build with him. I don't know where that will be or what that will be, so I can't really say.
"I haven't had a call from him asking if I want to be involved in that just yet. But I do want to get more and more involved in teams because I really do believe in black ownership, there is a lack of it in sports. And black equity, again, there is a real lack of that."
Ratcliffe is likely to be popular among United fans given he grew up in the city and was brought up as a fan of the club. One of the main criticisms of the Glazers is the claim that they are not fans of the club or even of the sport, with many suggesting they do not understand how the sport works.
"If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer," said a spokesperson for the Ineos founder. "If something like this was possible, be would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership. This is not about the money that has been spent or not spent, Jim is looking at what can be done now and, knowing how important the club is to the city, it feels like the time is right for a reset."
