Lewis Hamilton becomes part-owner of Denver Broncos NFL team

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Lewis Hamilton has joined the ownership group of the Denver Broncos NFL team, which was recently sold for £3.8 billion

Lewis Hamilton wearing sunglasses

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Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has joined the ownership group of the Denver Broncos NFL team.

The Broncos were recently acquired by the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group in a deal worth $4.65 billion (£3.8bn), a record price paid for a North American sports franchise.

One of its first moves has been to bring in Hamilton as a limited shareholder, alongside former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and Starbucks chairwoman Mellody Hobson.

“We’re delighted to welcome seven-time Formula 1 world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton to our ownership group,” the group said in a statement.

G X44

Hamilton has numerous business interests, including the X44 Extreme E team

Extreme E

“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 Broncos are based in Colorado, the American state where Hamilton owns a large property, used as his winter getaway during the off-season.

The Mercedes driver confirmed the news via an Instagram story and sees it as a continuation of his work for greater diversity in sport, which is the driving force behind the Hamilton Commission.

“Excited to join an incredible group of owners and become a part of the Broncos story,” he said.

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“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to impact the sport and work with a world class team.

“I’m ready to get started and serve as an example of the value of more diverse leadership across all sports.”

This news comes four months after Hamilton joined a consortium which tried to buy Chelsea Football Club, following the departure of Russian owner Roman Abramovich.

One of the highest-earning sports stars in the world, Hamilton has numerous business interests and has put significant amounts of money into charitable efforts in and outside of F1.

His Team X44 team currently competes in the Extreme E championship, has invested in the Neat Burger vegan fast food chain as well as being behind the Hamilton Commission and Mission 44 initiative.

Prior to the Broncos sale, NFL Chief Commissioner Roger Goodell expressed the League’s desire to have an ethnic-minority ownership of the team in a bid to further increase the sport’s diversity.

“We would love to see a diverse owner of the team, whether that’s a person of colour or a female or a Black man, we think that would be a really positive step for us,” Goodell said. “It’s something we have encouraged. It’s one of the reasons we have reached out to find candidates who can do that. There is no timetable.

Though that wasn’t achieved after the sale to the Walton-Penner group, lead by Wal-Mart heir Rob Walton, Hamilton appears to represent the further high profile diversification the sport’s chiefs desire.

The upcoming NFL season gets underway on the 8th September, with Denver last winning the Super Bowl six years ago.