Max Verstappen has poked fun at his Formula 1 rival Lewis Hamilton over his involvement in a bid to buy Chelsea, saying he thought Hamilton supported Arsenal.
The seven-time Formula One world champion is part of a consortium of wealthy investors from the business and sporting sectors looking to buy the club from owner Roman Abramovich.
The group, headed by former Liverpool chairman Sir Martin Broughton, also includes 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams.
Speaking to reporters about Hamilton’s involvement in the Chelsea bid, Verstappen said: “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.”
Why is Lewis Hamilton involved in the Chelsea bid?
Hamilton is known to be a big football supporter and, as Verstappen suspected, has been an Arsenal fan since he was a child.
He has vast experience of building and maintaining global sporting brands and is associated with several early-stage companies.
It is understood that Hamilton has been in talks with Broughton for several weeks regarding potential involvement in a bid for Chelsea.
The Broughton consortium is one of three parties still in the running to take over the Blues after a list of preferred bidders was drawn up and final offers were tabled.
The other bidders are consortiums headed by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and Boston Celtics stakeholder Steve Pagliuca.
Pagliuca also owns a 55 percent stake in Serie A side Atalanta which has grown rapidly with its performances on the field domestically and internationally over the past few years.
American mogul Boehly, meanwhile, owns famous basketball side LA Lakers alongside the Dodgers. He is estimated to be worth around $6.6 billion and had a $2.9 billion (£2.21 billion) bid to buy Chelsea turned down back in 2019.
