
Liverpool owner FSG holds talks over buying majority stake in Cadillac F1 team
Deal would be worth more than ã2bn
Cadillac are jointly owned by Mark Walter
LiverpoolâÂÂs owner, Fenway Sports Group, has held talks about buying a majority stake in the Cadillac Formula One team for more than ã2bn as Mark Walter continues to sell off his sporting assets amid allegations of insurance fraud.
Cadillac entered F1 this year as a joint venture between General Motors and WalterâÂÂs TWG Global, which sold its controlling interest in the NBAâÂÂs Los Angeles Lakers and a 13% stake in Chelsea this summer, and is also looking to sell Los Angeles Sparks, the WNBA team.
Walter is under investigation by the US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, over alleged fraud involving the management of funds at his insurance companies Delaware Life, Clear Spring, and EquiTrust. TWG has said âÂÂthere has been no fraudâÂÂ.
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The 66-year-old Walter is also the controlling owner of Major League BaseballâÂÂs Los Angeles Dodgers and insists they will not be sold.
TWG has denied that a sale of Cadillac is imminent, but the Guardian has learned it has had talks with a number of interested parties including FSG, whose sporting investments also include majority stakes in the Boston Red Sox and the NHL team Pittsburgh Penguins.
A source with knowledge of FSGâÂÂs plans disclosed that it is looking at other sporting investments after selling 38% of Liverpool this summer to a consortium that includes the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, whose group has also secured the option to complete a full takeover at Anfield before August 2027.
A move by FSG to buy into Cadillac could have implications for its position at Liverpool, which is valued at ã5.5bn after this summerâÂÂs partial sale, presenting it with the opportunity to make a huge profit after it paid ã300m for the entire club in 2010.
FSG has a history of investing in motor sport through its 50% stake in the Nascar team RFK Racing, with the source adding that it has been attracted to F1 by the sportâÂÂs remarkable growth over the last decade, particularly in the US.
F1âÂÂs annual revenue has more than doubled to $4bn (ã3bn) since it was bought by Liberty Media in 2017, and the value of its TV rights continues to increase.
Sportico has previously reported that Walter values his Cadillac shareholding at about ã2.24bn. The size of TWGâÂÂs and General Motorsâ respective stakes has never been made public.
Cadillac are bottom of the constructorsâ championship in their debut season and have yet to win a point.
FSG declined to comment on its investment plans.
