A few years back, the Denver Broncos got new owners when the Walton-Penner group bought the team. Since taking over, they’ve spent big, upgrading the stadium with a new video board, replacing the field grass at least twice a year, and investing heavily in free agency.
They’re not the only owners, though. Lewis Hamilton, widely considered the best Formula One driver ever, also has a stake in the Broncos. He’s a minority owner, but still part of the group. Now, as he enters a new chapter in his life, all eyes are on him.
Lewis Hamilton has had an incredible Formula 1 career, one of the best ever. He kicked off in 2007 with McLaren, finishing third in the standings with four wins in his first season. His big breakthrough came in 2008 when he dramatically won his first World Championship. Things took off even more when he joined Mercedes in 2013.
At Mercedes, Hamilton racked up six more titles in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, tying Michael Schumacher’s record for the most championships. His 2020 season stood out, as he clinched his seventh title with 11 race wins, setting a high bar for the year. On the track, he’s piled up over 100 Grand Prix victories, tons of pole positions, and plenty of fastest laps, making him one of F1’s all-time legends—and for many, the greatest race car driver ever.
Off the track, Hamilton’s made waves too. He pushes for diversity in motorsport, speaks out against racism, and cares about the environment. All of this adds to why the Denver Broncos were thrilled to have him join their ownership group. But nothing he has ever done has put as many eyes on him as his move to Ferrari did this summer.
The biggest name in racing pairing with the biggest brand in racing, ever, was sure to make headlines everywhere. Hamilton always wanted to drive the red car, but also felt like Mercedes was going to decline, while Ferrari was going to be on an ascent. But, his first race with Ferrari on Saturday night, was the exact opposite of what he expected. Really, the whole weekend was.
Broncos owner Lewis Hamilton had a poor weekend with Ferrari
To start the weekend, Hamilton qualified to start in eighth position for the race, behind his teammate in seventh. But, with it being a wet race, anything could happen, including a win.
Unfortunately for Hamilton, he and Ferrari would end up going backwards. Hamilton finished in 10th place, which is only worth one point, while his teammate, Charles Leclerc finished in eighth place, which is worth four points. This gives Ferrari five points to start the year, and starting in seventh place as a team, last of all the teams that did score points.
This was not the first day he anticipated.
“I’m grateful to finish, at least I got one point," Hamilton said after the race. "Overall, not what I was hoping for, but there was so much to get accustomed to, to get used to, with all the switch settings and changes that they [the team] were throwing at you [over the radio].
“Then just the balance of the car… It was really very, very tricky – really, really tricky today. I think we can improve that in the next race, hopefully, and get the car in a sweeter spot. I think there’s a lot more potential in the car than what we were able to extract today.”
