Lewis Hamilton faces opposition from Mercedes F1 owner in bid to buy Chelsea FC

Lewis Hamilton is facing opposition for his bid to own the Chelsea Football Club from the chairman of Mercedes' partner INEOS, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The INEOS CEO revealed that he is the only proper British bidder for the club and put in a late offer of £4.25 billion.

As reported by Sky Sports, Ratcliffe’s press release said:

“Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of Ineos, has made a formal bid for Chelsea FC, for £4.25bn. £2.5bn is committed to the Charitable Trust to support victims of the war, with £1.75bn committed to investment directly into the club over the next 10 years. This is a British bid, for a British club.”

Ratcliffe’s statement stressed the point that a British club needed British owners. Lewis Hamilton had earlier collaborated with American tennis player Serena Williams and a few more investors to form a consortium to bid for the club. The INEOS chairman, however, made it clear that he will be committed to the team over the next 10 years. Investing £1.75 billion, INEOS has committed to investing in the Stamford Bridge stadium to make it an iconic venue that will benefit the team.

Committing to Chelsea FC for the next 10 years, Ratcliffe’s statement said:

“We believe that a club is bigger than its owners who are temporary custodians of a great tradition. With responsibility to the fans and the community. That is why we are committing to spending £1.75bn over 10 years that will be for the direct benefit of the club. We will invest in Stamford Bridge to make it a world-class stadium, befitting of Chelsea FC. This will be organic and ongoing so that we will not move away from the home of Chelsea and risk losing the support of loyal fans.”

It must be noted here that INEOS owns 1/3rd of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team.

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INEOS Chairman reveals he was the only British bidder for Chelsea FC competing against Lewis Hamilton

The INEOS Chairman revealed that they were the only British bidders for the club and had put in an offer earlier in the day. The potential owners of Chelsea FC believe that they are committed to creating an exceptional London football club. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton and his consortium, who are bidding for the same team, are partially British bidders.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirmed his bid to The Times, saying:

“We put an offer in this morning. We are the only British bid. Our motives are simply to try and create a very fine club in London. We have no profit motive because we make our money in other ways.”

With Hamilton’s link to Ratcliffe via his team, the Briton could still have an opportunity to own the London club.