Unexpected F1 ally tipped to help Lewis Hamilton invest in MotoGP

Outgoing Sauber Formula 1 team representative and managing director Alessandro Alunni Bravi has been linked to Lewis Hamilton’s bid to invest in a MotoGP team.

Hamilton has been linked to potential investment in a MotoGP team for almost a year in the wake of F1 owner Liberty Media’s acquisition of Dorna Sports last spring.

While rumours of a Gresini buyout proved untrue, former Liberty CEO Greg Maffei confirmed that Hamilton reached out to express interest in getting involved with a MotoGP team under its new ownership.

Then in December, in an interview with Speedweek, KTM motorsport boss Pit Beirer revealed that “concrete talks” had been held with Hamilton’s management about him investing in the cash-strapped Austrian race team.

KTM is currently in the midst of a financial crisis and faces an uncertain future in MotoGP, though the noise around Hamilton getting involved in the team has gone quiet of late.

While the seven-time F1 world champion’s plans to get involved in MotoGP remain unclear at this point, reports from Gazzetta dello Sport claim his hopes could be bolstered by help from Alessandro Alunni Bravi.

Alunni Bravi recently announced he would be leaving his role with the Sauber F1 team, having spent seven years with the Swiss squad in various roles.

His future is unclear as he embarks on new challenges following his time with Sauber.

He has no clear ties to Hamilton nor MotoGP, so where he could potentially fit into the picture in Hamilton investing in a team is uncertain.

However, any ambitions that Hamilton may have in investing in a MotoGP team will be on hold until Liberty Media’s acquisition of the series clears an EU probe.

While Liberty and Dorna had been confident that the deal - worth €4.2 billion - could be closed by the end of last year, the European Commission’s anti-competitions board have elected to probe it further out of fears of a monopoly on television broadcasting rights.

Liberty currently owns F1, Formula 2 and Formula 3, while a sister company owns Formula E. Should Liberty’s takeover of Dorna come to pass, it would also own the rights to MotoGP and World Superbikes, as well as all Dorna-associated championships.

The EU probe could delay the acquisition until May if it gains regulatory approval.

Hamilton, who joins Ferrari this season, already has a sporting ownership portfolio after buying into the Denver Broncos NFL team in North America a few years ago.

He also owned a team in the Extreme E off-road championship for electric SUVs.