Rob Walton announced the addition of Hamilton as a limited shareholder in a statement issued on behalf of the Walton-Penner family ownership group. “[Hamilton] is a champion athlete who knows what it takes to lead a winning team and a passionate advocate for global equality, including in his own sport,” Walton said in a statement. “With over 100 race wins, Lewis is considered the most successful F1 driver of all time. His resilient spirit and standard of excellence will be an asset to the ownership group and the Broncos organization.” The Walton-Penner Group agreed to buy the team from the Patrick D Bowlen Trust last month for £3.81bn ($4.65bn) in the world’s most expensive sports franchise deal, eclipsing the £2.5bn ( 3.1 billion dollars). selling Chelsea to an American-led consortium led by Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly this year; In April, Hamilton and tennis star Serena Williams joined a consortium led by former British Airways chairman Martin Broughton to buy Chelsea which was among the three final shortlisted bids. But it was ruled out after it was revealed it was dependent on a 500 million pound ($611 million) loan from three U.S. banks. Broncos star Russell Wilson celebrated the addition of Hamilton to team ownership before Tuesday morning’s practice. Wilson and his wife, Ciara, were guests of Hamilton’s Mercedes racing team at this year’s Monaco Grand Prix. Hamilton, whose 103 grand prix wins are the most in F1 history, becomes the third known limited shareholder to join the ownership group of the three Super Bowl champions after Condoleezza Rice, who served as US secretary of state under George W. Bush from 2005 to 2009, and Ariel Investments co-CEO and Starbucks president Mellody Hobson. The Broncos ownership group is fronted by Walton and includes his daughter, Carrie Walton Penner, and her husband, Greg Penner. Walton, 77, was chairman of Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, from 1992 until 2015, when he retired. He is the eldest son of founder Sam Walton and Ellen Walton and has an estimated net worth of nearly £49 billion ($60 billion). The NFL is expected to fully approve the buyout deal for the Walton-Penner group at a league meeting next Tuesday in Minneapolis, the latest step after approval by the league’s finance committee last week.
