Lewis Hamilton, who will leave Mercedes to join Ferrari next season, is said to be in discussions with Nadia Padovani about the Gresini team, which notably races in MotoGP.
Lewis Hamilton has been a lifelong motorcycle fan. The British rider even took Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha M1 for a spin on the Valencia circuit in 2019, during a day organized by Monster.
“I’ve always loved motorbikes. When I was younger I wanted to ride a motorbike, not a car, but my dad wouldn’t let me, he said it was too dangerous! He made me switch to four wheels instead of two. It was the right choice because if I had raced when Valentino Rossi was there I wouldn’t have been as successful. Since I’ve been in F1 I’ve owned a Superbike and I like to do a few track days. It’s fascinating. It gives you a different perspective,” he explained at the time of the test.
Lewis Hamilton linked to Gresini?
According to information gathered by The Race, Lewis Hamilton has expressed an interest in taking over the Gresini team, founded by the late Fausto Gresini, who died at the start of the 2021 season, and currently managed by his wife Nadia Padovani. The British driver is currently studying the commercial viability of taking over the Italian team, which has extended Alex Márquez’s contract until the end of the 2026 season.
This deal could allow Lewis Hamilton to acquire a significant financial asset with very little financial risk to himself. the British rider has a number of personal sponsors who could support him in this project, as well as those present at Mercedes who have MotoGP experience, such as Petronas, who was the title sponsor of Razlan’s team Razali until 2021, or Monster, which is a sponsor of Ducati and Yamaha in particular.
This situation is ideal for Liberty Media, which has acquired Dorna, which holds the commercial rights to MotoGP, subject to authorization from the competent courts. The American giant is also the owner of the commercial rights to F1 and this “crossover” could facilitate the resumption of the MotoGP World Championship.
