Hamilton an Arsenal fan? Verstappen pokes fun at Mercedes star over Chelsea links

Max Verstappen took a dig at seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton over his link to Chelsea football club’s takeover. The Mercedes driver is reportedly a part of a Sir Martin Broughton-led consortium along with tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams in a bid to buy the Premier League giant. 

Verstappen, who beat Hamilton in the 2021 season to claim his first world championship, said that he wouldn’t want to be a part of the deal like this if he supported some other club. The Dutch driver is a PSV (Philips Sport Vereniging) fan and the 24-year said that he thought his Mercedes counterpart was an Arsenal supporter. 

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“I thought he was an Arsenal fan? And if you are an Arsenal fan going for Chelsea, that it is quite interesting. But everyone does what they want with their money so let’s see what comes out of it,” Verstappen was quoted as saying by PA news agency.

The Red Bull driver further added that he, a PSV fan, will never buy Ajax – another Dutch club. 

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“And if I was going to buy a football club I would want to be the full owner and to take the decisions myself, not own just a tiny percentage,” Max Verstappen further added.

Chelsea’s ownership is up for grabs after oligarch Roman Abrahamovich was forced to sell in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Lewis Hamilton said that he planned to invest more than £10 million ($13m). 

Hamilton, in the meanewhile, said that he was forced to support Arsenal as a child, although he now describes himself as a “sporting fan.”

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“When I was young, around the corner from where I lived, I used to play football with all the kids and a couple of close friends at the time. I really wanted to fit in. I was the only kid of colour there. I knew all the kids supported someone different, one was Tottenham Hotspur, one was Manchester United. I remember switching between these teams when I was younger and getting home and my sister Sam punching me several times in the arm, basically beat me, saying ‘You have to support Arsenal!'” he said.