Sir Lewis Hamilton has joined in with a surprise bid for Chelsea Football Club, according to Sky News. The Formula One star joins tennis ace Serena Williams in making a bid for the Blues as part of Sir Martin Broughton’s consortium.
Both are said to be pledging £10million towards investment for the club, joining the likes of Lord Sebastien Coe, the President of World Athletics, in the bid. It comes as the takeover appears to be drawing to a conclusion in the near future.
Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale last month following sanctions placed on him by the UK government after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The freezing of the 55-year-old’s assets means that Chelsea have had to operate under a special sporting licence, putting restrictions on things such as ticket sales, merchandising and more.
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Raine Bank, a US firm, was left in charge of overseeing the takeover process, setting an initial bid deadline that dwindled the competition down to four. They have since passed a final bid deadline, where it moved down to three as the Ricketts Family withdrew from the process.
The three left are consortiums led by Sir Martin Broughton, Steve Pagliuca and Todd Boehly, who all have experience in sports investment. Broughton, a former Liverpool chairman, is the bid that Hamilton and Williams have joined.
However, the racing driver’s inclusion is somewhat of a surprise, given his links to Arsenal. The 37-year-old has previously spoken about his love for the Gunners at a young age.
Speaking with Sky Sports about his Arsenal fandom, he said: "I grew to love the team with Ian Wright, obviously at the time." He was also invited to attend training when Arsene Wenger was in charge.
Given his love for a London rival, it makes the bid unexpected, however with his recent history in investment, it seems as though this is another choice for the business portfolio.
