Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time Formula One world champion, said Friday that being part of a consortium looking to buy Chelsea in the English Premier League was too good a chance to pass up.
According to Sky News, Hamilton and American tennis star Serena Williams might each contribute up to £10 million in a group run by former Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton.
"Chelsea is one of the largest and most successful clubs in the world," Hamilton said, adding that he has loved football since he was a child, calling it "the greatest sport on the planet."
"When I first heard about this possibility, I thought to myself, wow, this is one of the best chances I've ever had to be a part of something so incredible."
Hamilton said he had supported Chelsea's fierce city rivals Arsenal since he was five or six years old, addressing ahead of Sunday's Imola Grand Prix.
"However, my Uncle Terry is a huge Chelsea fan, so I've gone to a lot of games with him to see Arsenal and Chelsea," he explained.
After Russian owner Roman Abramovich announced the sale of the European champions, Hamilton says he was called by Broughton.
"Martin took the time to call me and explain his and his team's aims if they were to win the bid, which was tremendously exciting and very much in line with my principles," Hamilton added.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich placed Chelsea up for sale on March 2, prompting UK sanctions.
Chelsea has been awarded a special government license that allows them to continue functioning under stringent conditions.
Although Abramovich will not benefit from the sale of Chelsea, he has already promised to pay off the club's £1.5 billion ($2 billion) debt.
Aside from Broughton's offer, which has the support of World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, a Chelsea supporter, two other bids have been filed, led by Todd Boehly, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, and Steve Pagliuca, co-owner of the Boston Celtics basketball franchise.