F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton has reportedly expressed his interest in acquiring the Gresini MotoGP team. A rumour that is now swirling to the point of making the main interested party, as well as those involved in the category, react.
MotoGP 2025: Liberty Media, then Hamilton?
According to several concordant sources, Hamilton is in negotiations to buy the Gresini Racing MotoGP team. Currently a Ducati satellite, the team has often changed gear in recent years. In 2015, it was affiliated to Aprilia as a factory team, before becoming independent again in 2022, while employing Ducati machinery. Questioned on this subject ahead of the F1 British Grand Prix, the record holder of Grand Prix victories (104) did not rule out the possibility.
Although he has not confirmed the existence of any ongoing discussions, he has already expressed his interest in two-wheelers and MotoGP in particular. "When I was younger, I wanted to ride motorcycles, not cars, but my father wouldn't let me - he said it was too dangerous!" he explained.
Lewis Hamilton, seven-time Formula 1 world champion
I've always loved MotoGP. I'm curious to see how the sport can evolve. I haven't explored this opportunity in depth yet, but anything is possible. I'm definitely interested in the possibility.
It is even rumoured that someone close to Hamilton attended the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen at the end of last month, with a view to assessing the financial terms of this potential takeover. A negotiation which would take place against the backdrop of the forthcoming arrival of Liberty Media, and which would certainly have a positive impact on the MotoGP audience.
What do the category's drivers think?
Following in the footsteps of their single-seater counterparts, the MotoGP riders interviewed on the eve of the weekend in Germany all agreed. Marc Marquez, nine-times a world champion, agreed that this would be an exciting development for MotoGP and that it would prove the championship's appeal: "Even if it's not real, it's good for our sport because, in the end, MotoGP needs people talking about it! Maybe I'm thinking of buying a team too... But I don't have enough money!" he joked.
Jorge Martin, currently second in the MotoGP championship, also commented, "If someone as iconic as Hamilton wants to invest in MotoGP, it's because something is changing and that really interests me."
As a reminder, the former will join the Ducati factory team next year...
Hamilton in MotoGP: a ready-made transition?
Lewis Hamilton on his MV Agusta F4 RC "LH44".
In 2019, Hamilton swapped his Mercedes F1 with Valentino Rossi's Yamaha at Valencia, for a test organized with Monster and Petronas. Rossi, whose qualities he has since praised: "If I had raced during the period when Vale' was there, I wouldn't have been so successful." Hamilton also signed a deal with MV Agusta, which produced limited-edition motorcycles he helped design. The Mercedes F1 driver also has his own collection of motorcycles, including a Superbike to take out on the track and observe a different perspective.
What's more, several of the sponsors of Mercedes, the team Hamilton drives for (before joining Ferrari in 2025), such as Petronas and Monster Energy, are important MotoGP partners. While he also co-owns, with other investors, the Denver Broncos American soccer team, Lewis Hamilton already owns another racing team: X44, in Extreme E. For those more skeptical about the new buyer, X44 was crowned champion in 2022 with Cristina Gutierrez and... Sébastien Loeb!
It's still too early to say whether MotoGP will be one of the next investments for Hamilton, whose personal fortune is said to be in the region of €300 million. One thing's for sure, though, and that's that his mind was elsewhere this weekend at the British F1 GP. It had been almost three years since Hamilton had stood on the top step of the podium. The Briton may well have the opportunity to conclude this dossier before the next MotoGP meeting, in his own backyard of Silverstone, where he now boasts nine victories in his discipline.
