Max Verstappen And Lewis Hamilton Reportedly Interested In Acquiring MotoGP Team

When Liberty Media, who also own F1, purchased MotoGP from commercial rights holder Dorna in July, it seemed obvious that huge growth - similar to F1 over the past decade - was the goal.

Maybe unexpectedly, two of Formula One's biggest drivers are rumored to be enticed by motorcycle racing, and potentially investing in a team.

Things would have to 'fall into place' for Max Verstappen's MotoGP bid

Max Verstappen is well-known for being a big fan of multiple forms of racing. | David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Max Verstappen, reigning F1 World Champion, has already shown he has a passion for investing in sports.

The 27-year-old joined forces with the team he races for, Red Bull, to create Verstappen.com Racing in 2022, and the team has experienced success so far in European endurance and rallying circuits.

Raymond Vermeulen, Verstappen's manager, was keen to settle any rumors of an imminent investment into MotoGP, but did state that the Dutchman is intrigued by the prospect while talking to Autosport.

"Max is a big racing enthusiast in general. He is very involved in the GT3 division with his Verstappen.com team. It’s no secret that he is also interested in MotoGP, but thinking about buying a team is not a realistic goal at this moment. Everything would have to fall into place perfectly, and the chances of that happening imminently are minimal."
Vermeulen, on Verstappen as an owner

While Verstappen has not spoken on the rumors surrounding his investment, Lewis Hamilton has.

"I’m interested in MotoGP’s potential growth...I’m certainly interested in being part of it."
Hamilton in 2024

Both drivers have had their representatives reach out to non-factory teams in MotoGP, with the only one truly being off the table being Tech3 - due to their recent purchase and new team boss, ex-Haas leader Gunther Steiner.

What team might either driver invest in?

Although technically every non-works team is up for grabs if enough money is paid, Tech3's recent acquisition rules them out, while Pramac's move to being a Yahama customer team, with Paolo Campinoti, Pramac's principal, having close ties, probably rules them out as well.

Shane van Gisbergen is a driver for Trackhouse Racing in NASCAR and has won three races so far this year. | Henry Romero/Reuters via Imagn Images

Trackhouse Racing, out of all the customer teams, seems the most likely, simply because team owner Justin Marks also has the team heavily involved in NASCAR and enjoying success, with multiple wins this season and an American prodigy, Connor Zilisch, signed for next season.

Marks has been a fan and advocate for Zilisch ever since he was 15, and Zilisch also has ties with Red Bull. The quartet of connections between Marks, Zilisch, Red Bull and Verstappen could, in theory, lead to Verstappen holding a stake in Trackhouse or potentially a Verstappen.com rebrand.

As for Hamilton, Autosport also claimed that his representative, Mark Hynes, is in contact with teams and is looking for entry points, but has not focused on any specific acquisition.

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