CNN
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Lewis Hamilton swapped the starting gates for the grid on Monday as he attended his first Denver Broncos game, watching his team fall 19-16 to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Earlier this year, the seven-time Formula 1 champion joined the new Broncos ownership group, which is led by the Walton-Penner family and includes former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Mellody Hobson, president of Starbucks and co -CEO of Ariel. Investments.
Hamilton, who will compete in the United States Grand Prix this weekend in Austin, Texas, said he was “so excited” ahead of the game at SoFi Stadium – and even his bulldog Roscoe was dressed in the uniform of the United States. Broncos for the occasion.
But the result will undoubtedly have disappointed him.
Playing in prime time for the second week in a row, the Broncos slipped to 2-4 this season after the Chargers won in overtime, thanks to five successful kicks – four field goals and an extra point – from Dustin Hopkins.
Hopkins suffered a hamstring injury in the first half and was questionable to return, according to the Chargers.
However, he went on to make four FGs later in the game, including the game-clinching 39-yard kick in overtime to send the Chargers up 4-2 on the season.
Hopkins told ESPN he felt a “pop” after his first kick of the night, adding that his leg was “in a lot of pain”.
“He had a hamstring cramp/strain. It didn’t feel right to me,” Chargers head coach Brandon Staley told reporters after the game. “You can’t say enough about him hanging there.”
The Broncos had taken a 10-0 lead in the first quarter when Russell Wilson found Greg Dulcich in open space with a touchdown pass, but the Chargers fought back – first when Austin Ekeler forced his way over- over the goal line for a touchdown, then when Hopkins tied the game with his first field goal.
As the tight fight went into overtime, a fumble on a Broncos punt return with five minutes left in extra period allowed Hopkins to land the game-winning kick.
After the game, Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett said Wilson suffered a hamstring injury, with the quarterback telling reporters that “it made me pretty good in the fourth quarter – I I just tried to play through”.
The Broncos next face the Jets on Sunday, while the Charges face the Seahawks.
