KTM bosses respond to rumours that Lewis Hamilton will buy MotoGP team

KTM bosses have given a firm response to rumours that their MotoGP team might be bought by Lewis Hamilton.

Whispers gathered pace over the final Formula 1 round of the year, at the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, that Hamilton could step in to solve the money worries at KTM.

Hamilton had previously made it clear that he aspired to owning a MotoGP team.

But it seems that KTM are not the team he will attempt to buy into.

“Never in a million years,” one source from the manufacturer in Austria told GPOne.

Tech3 KTM’s Herve Poncharal added: “These rumours are completely unfounded.

“There’s not a shred of truth in them. And I assume this also applies to the factory team.”

Another KTM boss told GPOne: “We read the Hamilton story with astonishment!”

F1 fans might smirk that KTM are sponsored by Red Bull, who are Hamilton’s big rivals in his championship. Hamilton is associated to Monster, Red Bull’s rival energy drink.

KTM have insisted their racing future is unaffected despite news of their financial concerns.

They have entered self-administration amid debts that could hit €3 billion.

Hamilton, for his part, has made it clear that owning a team is something he’d look at.

“I've always loved MotoGP,” he said earlier this year.

“I'm interested in the potential growth of the sport. But I haven't looked that far into it, just yet.

“But anything is possible. I'm definitely interested, as I said before, about equity. The Denver Broncos was already a first step into team ownership.

“I think over the next five to ten years there will be a little bit more. We'll see.”