Secret talks: Verstappen and Hamilton chase MotoGP teams

(Motorsport-Total.com) - With Günther Steiner's entry into MotoGP announced for 2026, there are increasing signs that Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are now also vying for a team. Under the new leadership of Liberty Media, the motorcycle world championship has significantly increased its growth expectations.

Last Friday, during the Catalan Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya , the acquisition of Tech3 by the Ikon Capital consortium was officially confirmed . A deal that brings Günther Steiner, the former Haas team principal, into the paddock as managing director.

Although the terms of the sale have already been finalized , the two co-founders Herve Poncharal and engineer Guy Coulon will not finally hand over the reins of the French racing team until next season .

Steiner makes the start

After visiting KTM headquarters, Steiner and Poncharal traveled to Bormes-les-Mimosas, Tech3's home base, on Sunday. "I'm happy that I managed to beat the other rivals in this race," Steiner explained.

"This discipline is growing, and Liberty's entry is a very important step. They want to make this work, and they will invest because they already have the experience from Formula 1's expansion. It's a good time to invest here—and yes, there are other interested parties."

According to information from Motorsport.com, the most prominent candidates include Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Hamilton's interest has been waning for some time. This was partly due to his passion for motorcycles – during his time at Mercedes, he regularly closed tracks to ride superbikes alongside race engineer Peter Bonnington and other paddock colleagues – and partly due to the growth expectations associated with Liberty Media's entry.

Verstappen cautious

His biggest rival in the race for a MotoGP entry is Verstappen, even though his manager Raymond Vermeulen was still reserved on Sunday before the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix.

"Max is very passionate about cars and motorsport," said the manager. "It's well known that he's also heavily involved in GT3 with Verstappen.com Racing. It's no secret that he's interested in MotoGP. But taking over a team isn't realistic at the moment. Everything would have to be perfectly aligned, and the chances of that happening in the short term are minimal."

Tech3 is no longer up for sale due to the sale to Ikon Capital. The five factory teams – Honda, Yamaha, Ducati, KTM, and Aprilia – are also not up for sale. This leaves four of the five independent teams as potential candidates. A deal with Pramac is considered unlikely, as Paolo Campinoti's team switched from Ducati to Yamaha this year.

Talks announced

Motorsport.com is aware of talks between Verstappen's management and LCR, Lucio Cecchinello's team. However, it is likely that the inquiries are not limited to the Honda satellite team. "Both Hamilton's and Verstappen's people have contacted all the private teams to express their interest in a purchase," a team director confirmed.

Vermeulen's reluctance is reminiscent of Hamilton's words last year, when the first reports of his interest surfaced: "I'm interested in the growth potential of MotoGP, but I haven't analyzed it in detail yet. Anything is possible, and yes, I definitely want to be part of it. The Broncos were my first step in that direction," Hamilton said that summer.

At that time, the focus was specifically on Gresini - but team boss Nadia Padovani rejected both Hamilton and Andrew Fox, the Australian Linfox owner and owner of the Phillip Island circuit.

Hamilton with a strong partner

Hamilton, however, was not deterred. His representative, Mark Hynes, continues to explore possible entry options. In recent months, the lawyer has held talks with at least three available private teams.

According to Motorsport.com, Hamilton is not alone in this, but has a strong partner at his side in TWG Motorsports - the fund that also owns the Cadillac team that will debut in Formula 1 in 2026.