Lewis
Hamilton has spoken of his excitement at joining a consortium in a bid to
buy Chelsea, calling it "one of the greatest opportunities" as Formula 1's
most successful driver aims to help the club "move forwards".
As revealed by Sky News on Thursday, Hamilton is one of the investors
backing Sir Martin Broughton's attempt to acquire the west London club and
is understood to have committed £10m to the bid.
Tennis legend Serena Williams is also among the backers of the Broughton
consortium, spearheaded by the former Liverpool chairman.
Speaking to the media for the first time since his involvement was made
public, a passionate Hamilton confirmed his interest on Friday.
"Ultimately, I'm a sporting fan," he told reporters at the Emilia Romagna
GP.
"It's the biggest sport in the world and Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs
in the world and one of the most successful. When I heard about this
opportunity I was like, 'Wow', this is one of the greatest opportunities to
be a part of something."
Hamilton has said many times before he is an Arsenal fan - but explained his
love for Chelsea on Thursday.
"I know when you watch sports there's always a crazy rivalry between one
team and another," he told Sky Sports. "I don't really hold that hostility
within my personality.
"I love seeing people excel, I've been to quite a few Arsenal and Chelsea
games because my uncle is a massive Blues fan, so there's been that kind of
rivalry in the family all my life.
"This is a business opportunity, an incredible opportunity to be a part of
the biggest sport in the world and one of the biggest teams in the world."
He added on his footballing roots: "I've been a football fan since I was a
kid, I've played since I was a kid, from four to 17 in teams every year. I
played every year through childhood, I've been to numerous games.
"When I was young, around the corner from where I lived, I used to play
football with all the kids and a couple of my close friends at the time, and
I really wanted to fit in. I was the only kid of colour there.
"All the kids supported someone different - one was Tottenham, one was Man
United and I remember switching between these teams when I was younger and
when I'd get home my sister punching me several times in the arm, and
saying, 'you have to support Arsenal.'
"So I remember at five, six years old I then became a supporter of Arsenal
but my uncle Terry is a big Blues fan, so I've been to so many games with
him to watch Arsenal and Chelsea play."
Hamilton on Williams involvement and
Chelsea hopes
Broughton is leading one of three remaining bids for Chelsea after Roman
Abramovich put the club up for sale.
Hamilton said he and Williams were "constantly in touch" after being
contacted by Broughton about the opportunity - which he insists is "very
much aligned" with his values.
"We did speak about it - Serena and I are very, very close," said the
37-year-old. "She's a phenomenal athlete and woman. She asked me what my
thoughts were on it and I told her that I'm going to be a part of it and she
decided to join.
"Naturally I heard about it in the news, everyone was obviously aware of it.
I got contacted and Sir Martin took time to speak to me on the phone and
explain his and his team's goals if they were able to win the bid that was
incredibly exciting and it very much aligned with my values.
"As a kid, I remember collecting all the stickers and getting the books with
trading cards - I remember filling all those up as a kid and trading them
for pennies, for sweets, with other kids.
"When I was younger I was trying to actually play for a team, try out for
Stevenage but I ended up following racing.
"I could have only ever dreamed being a part of the team, an integral part
of the team, so that's for me the most exciting thing."
Questioned on Chelsea's previous owners' human rights, Hamilton said "we're
trying to acquire a team and move it forwards."
"It's all about the community," he explained. "That's what really makes a
football team, the people in and around it.
"They've been quite leading in their work in D&I, becoming more diverse and
progressive. It's not that we're associating ourselves with previous owners,
our goal is to continue the work they've already done, having more of an
impact and engaging more with the community."
Hamilton continued to Sky Sports: "They've already done lots in anti-racial
campaigns, antisemitism. There's a lot of core values they have that are
aligned with mine and I hope over time I can be more and more involved."
Would Hamilton be 'hands-on' if Chelsea
bid succeeds?
It is understood that Hamilton and Williams would have no say on football
matters, although the seven-time F1 champion is keen to get increasingly
more "hands-on" over time should the bid succeed - particularly once his
racing career is over.
"At the moment my primary main focus is continuing in Formula 1 and this
isn't my first business venture or investment," he said. "I'm for sure not
going to be as hands-on as some of the other people that are a part of it.
"We haven't won it yet but if we do, there's lots of opportunities to get
involved more and more over time, which is exciting, and particularly beyond
racing, wanting to help with the success they've already had and help them
become even more successful."
Hamilton was also questioned about Chelsea's recent financial losses.
"That's never an idea of an investment," he said. "Firstly the investment to
be a part of something as big as this is the exciting thing. Of course then
it's a business venture.
"But through the discussions we've had, how the team plan to manage the team
moving forward and improve that, making sure we slowly decrease those losses
and turn it into a profit-making organisation, that's going to take a lot of
work as there's so many moving parts.
"The consortium is made up of lifetime Chelsea fans and others who have come
to it later in life. There's not anyone that's a part of that consortium
that's in the mindset of losing. I think Chelsea already have that mindset
but we can do better."
Tuchel 'big admirer' of Hamilton and
Williams
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says he is a "big admirer" of Hamilton and
Williams but has no insight on the pair joining Broughton's takeover bid.
Tuchel said: "I am a big admirer of both of them, fantastic personalities on
the court and race track and off. They take responsibility as human beings
and are outstanding sports figures in what they do, for which they have my
biggest respect. But I have no insight into the proceedings and what role
they play [in a takeover]."
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