F1 star Lewis Hamilton joins new Denver Broncos ownership group

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — With the final step of the purchase of the Denver Broncos by a group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton set for next Tuesday, the Walton-Penner group has added another high-profile investor to its ranks.

Walton announced Tuesday morning seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton will now have an ownership stake. Hamilton joins former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who joined the group as an investor last month.

«We're delighted to welcome seven-time Formula One World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton to our ownership group,'' Rob Walton said in a statement. „He is a champion competitor who knows what it takes to lead a winning team.''

In addition to his record tying (with Michael Schumacher), the 37-year-old Hamilton holds the Formula One record for race wins (103). He finished second in the Hungarian Grand Prix last week and is currently sixth in this year's driver's standings.

In June a group led by Walton that includes Walton's daughter Carrie Walton Penner, her husband Greg Penner as well as co-CEO of Ariel Investments Mellody Hobson, agreed to purchase the Broncos for $4.65 billion. The NFL has scheduled a vote Aug. 9 among the team owners at a meeting in Minneapolis that would formally approve the sale to the Walton-Penner group — the last step in a months-long process.

The league's finance committee unanimously recommended last week for the sale to be approved. It will take 24 “yes'' votes for the sale to be finalized.

The sale of the team is for a record price paid for a North American sports franchise. The Walton-Penner group was, according to multiple sources, one of four groups that had advanced to the second round of bidding for the team in early June.

The Broncos have been