‘Want to get involved’ – Lewis Hamilton hints at joining Manchester United takeover bid with Sir Jim Ratcliffe
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LEWIS HAMILTON has sensationally hinted at getting involved with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's potential takeover of Manchester United.
The Brit driver rivalled Ratcliffe's bid during the battle to take over Chelsea, which was eventually won by American Todd Boehly.
Ratcliffe owns multinational chemical company INEOS, who are a sponsor of Hamilton's Formula One team Mercedes.
The British entrepreneur is estimated to be worth £15billion and is said to be Britain's richest man.
But recent events have seen Ratcliffe linked with a takeover of Man United, with fans furious at the Glazer's ownership of the club.
Asked about the prospective takeover while at the Dutch Grand Prix, Hamilton said: "It's the first time I've heard of it.
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"I haven't had time to catch up with Jim since I was in Namibia (during the mid-season break).
"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.
"But Jim’s part-boss and part-partner, I would say we’re more partners because we’re in this together and I hope in the future to do something with Jim and build with him, I don’t know when that’ll be or what that’ll be."
However, despite Ratcliffe openly declaring he is interested in buying United - who he supported as a boy - the Glazers are said to be ignoring his efforts to purchase the club.
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The 37-year-old doesn't just appear to be interested in sports ownership to save face either.
He revealed his Chelsea ownership bid along with Sir Martin Broughton was driven by his goal to improve diversity and inclusivity within sports, as well as turning Chelsea into a profit making organisation.
Hamilton recently expanded his sporting portfolio thanks to an investment in the Denver Broncos NFL Team.
He added: "I really do believe in black ownership which there’s a lack of in sports.
"When I do get involved for example with the Broncos, I really try and focus on what I can do within the team.
"Within the infrastructure and within the surroundings in terms of the stadium and the homes that you end up building when you do eventually get a new stadium and all those sort of things so it’s an exciting one for the potential there is there.”
Hamilton suffered the ignominy of not finishing last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix after he made the self-admitted error of failing to leave ex-team-mate Fernando Alonso space on the inside.
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The consequential crash gave the seven-time champion terminal damage on the floor of his car and forced him to retire.
He will be hoping for better fortunes during this weekend's race around Zandvoort.