Can the Broncos celebrity owner bring another sport to Colorado?
May 5, 2023, 6:38 AM
The 2023 NFL Draft happened last weekend and one of the Broncos owners didn’t even have the draft on his mind. Seven-time Formula One world champion and part Broncos owner Sir Lewis Hamilton was busy competing for another shot at World Championship in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he placed sixth and is now ranked fourth overall in the season.
That’s right, people tend to forget that Hamilton was a part of the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group. Hamilton reportedly owns a whopping 0.02% of the team. His investment is estimated to be worth about $9 million, but according to several reports, Hamilton got it at a discounted rate.
Excited to join an incredible group of owners and become a part of the @Broncos story!! Honoured to work with a world class team and serve as an example of the value of more diverse leadership across all sports. Roscoe already thinks he made
the team 😂 #LetsRide 🐎🔥 pic.twitter.com/TSLQdPM8Hz— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) August 2, 2022
Hamilton is one of F1’s most popular drivers and it’s a no-brainer that the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group wanted to involve him. Hamilton is considered the most successful F1 driver in history, with seven world championships and holds the record for most wins (103), pole positions(103) and podium finishes (192).
Having that sort of greatness connected with the Broncos ownership group reflects down through the organization and creates a culture change from the top down.
Hamilton being a part of the ownership group opens up some new opportunities with F1 and possibly Mercedes (his current team). They could join forces to help promote F1 within the United States and grow that audience using the Broncos platform with Hamilton as the face in Denver.
F1 has been attempting to create a larger audience within the United States for years now and has had some massive success with the Netflix show, “Formula One: Drive to Survive,” and the addition of the Miami and Vegas Grand Prix. The last time F1 held an event in Vegas was in 1982 for the Caesars Palace Grand Prix. It’s the first time in over 40 years that F1 is bringing the grand prix back to Vegas.
With Hamilton now being a part of the ownership group, it would make sense for F1 and the Broncos to do some sort of collaboration and target the Denver market to promote Hamilton and F1 and vice versa. The Broncos could use F1 to help target other markets in different countries that the NFL wants to expand its reach to. Hamilton is arguably the most-popular driver in F1 and his already-established fan base would be a great way to engage with a new audience.
Thinking long term, F1 could even bring a grand prix back to Denver. The track could be designed to showcase the Broncos stadium and the beautiful views of Colorado. The last grand prix of Denver happened in 2006 and now that Hamilton is directly connected with the Broncos, the opportunities to bring it back and expand F1 within the United States and Colorado are endless.
It would be a unique moment for the two sports to collaborate and bring fans from all over the world together in a situation that wouldn’t normally happen.
Having Hamilton as part of the ownership group was a big deal because it helps bring fans together worldwide and showcases the value of diverse leadership within organizations.
Hamilton’s next race is this weekend, May 5-7 in the Miami Grand Prix. The race will air on ESPN at 1:30 p.m. (MT) on Sunday, May 7. Considering most grand prix happen in the middle of the night due to the time changes in other countries, you won’t want to miss this one.
***
