KEY POINTS

  • Roman Abramovich is set to sell Chelsea FC
  • U.K. government seized Abramovich's assets earlier this year
  • Lewis Hamilton is interested in becoming a co-owner of Chelsea

Max Verstappen poked fun at arch-rival Lewis Hamilton’s involvement in a bid to buy Chelsea.

As Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, whose assets were earlier frozen by the U.K. government, is preparing to sell Chelsea, several wealthy investors from the business and sporting sectors are expected to come forward together to buy it. The group of investors is led by former Liverpool chairman Sir Martin Broughton.

Along with seven-time F1 champion Hamilton, 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams is also a part of the said group.

Mocking Hamilton’s involvement in the Chelsea case, Red Bull F1 racer Verstappen said it was interesting because he thought the Englishman was a fan of the Premier League club Arsenal, the London rivals of Chelsea.

"I am a PSV fan and I would never buy Ajax. And if I were going to buy a football club I would want to be the full owner and to take the decisions myself, not own just a tiny percentage. I thought he was an Arsenal fan, no? If you are an Arsenal fan going for Chelsea, that is quite interesting. But everyone does what they want with their money so let's see what comes out of it," Verstappen was quoted by Goal, as saying in an interview.

Hamilton and Verstappen went neck to neck last season before the Dutch racer won the drivers’ title on the final day of the season in Abu Dhabi. While Hamilton was chasing a record eighth F1 championship, Verstappen bagged his first.

Sources close to the group said that Hamilton and Serena have pledged millions of pounds, although a spokesman for the F1 driver said the suggestion that the Mercedes superstar would invest $13 million was "not accurate", according to Sky Sports.

Max Verstappen won an epic season-long battle with reigning champion Lewis Hamilton
Max Verstappen won an epic season-long battle with reigning champion Lewis Hamilton AFP / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

37-year-old Hamilton’s love for soccer is not hidden. He has been following the game since he was a child and as Verstappen suspected, the Mercedes driver has been an Arsenal fan.

In addition, Sir Lewis Hamilton has a wide experience in building and maintaining global sports brands and is associated with several start-ups.

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