With KTM’s recent financial mess, this could be the perfect opportunity for Sir Lewis Hamilton to step in and take control of a semi-competitive MotoGP team that is already up to speed.
Lewis wants the challenge and KTM desperately needs the help. Lewis has been shopping for a MotoGP team all year, though hasn’t decided where to spend his cash yet. Early on there were rumors that the champ would be purchasing the Gresini team, and a few months later the scuttlebutt was that he’d be buying in to the struggling Honda team. While there’s no confirmation as to which team has Hamilton’s interest, he’s confirmed that he’s in the market, and there’s no time like the present.
With Liberty Media’s recent purchase of MotoGP fueling suspicions that F1 and MotoGP will begin sharing some calendar dates, this could be a great opportunity for Hamilton to cross-promote any two-wheeled involvement he hopes to have. It would be good to get in now, of course, as Liberty’s work promoting Formula One in a post-Bernie Ecclestone environment has exploded the sport’s popularity and introduced millions of new fans. Jumping in bed with a MotoGP team in the early days of Liberty involvement could pay dividends for Hamilton in the near future.
Hamilton has already begun diversifying his portfolio of investments, purchasing a part of the Denver Broncos, starting a clothing line with Tommy Hilfiger, and his non-alcoholic tequila Almay. He’s also invested in a vegan burger chain with Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s also no newbie to owning race teams, as he founded the Extreme E team X44 which ran from 2021 to 2023.
The KTM MotoGP team is somewhat on the ropes at the moment. KTM assures the world that the team will continue to compete in the series for the 2025 season, despite the parent company’s insolvency woes and scads of unsold product. The team will, however, run without development budget for the season despite scoring just six podium positions in 2024 and grabbing 327 points as a manufacturer to Ducati’s 722.
KTM allegedly spends around $40 million per season to compete in the series, though will be trying to run a more shoestring program in 2025. Most of that budget is paid by the team’s Red Bull title sponsor and Mobil 1, though some presumably comes from KTM’s own marketing budget. Bringing Lewis onboard could help out with team management, as well as sponsor procurement. It would be admittedly quite hilarious for Hamilton, now a Scuderia Ferrari driver, to buy in to a motorcycle team so closely tied to Red Bull.