Felipe Massa is getting in the futbol game…
The 44-year-old Brazilian racing driver is part of a group of investors who’ve bought a stake in French second-tier football team Le Mans, along with fellow ex-Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen and tennis star Novak Djokovic , the club said on Friday.
Le Mans said in a statement that they join other new financial investors into the club, including Latin American sports investment firm OutField and Georgios Frangulis, the founder and chief executive of OakBerry. Frangulis is the boyfriend of three-time women’s Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka.
“The uniqueness of this fund also lies in its contribution from high-level athletes,” Le Mans president Thierry Gomez said in the statement. “Novak Djokovic, Felipe Massa, and Kevin Magnussen will be part of the adventure.”
No financial details were given.
Massa won 11 races and secured 41 podiums in his F1 career. When driving for Ferrari, the popular Brazilian was within a whisker of winning the 2008 title, only for Lewis Hamilton to beat him in a dramatic finish at the last race. Hamilton won the title by 98 points to 97.
Le Mans football club, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, begin their league campaign on August 9.
Le Mans — a small city in northwestern France — also hosts the famed 24-hour endurance car race.