Gina Rinehart has not ruled out launching a bid to rival Albemarle’s $6.6 billion takeover tilt at Liontown Resources after confirming she now holds a strategic stake in the West Australian lithium prize.

Mrs Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting revealed late on Monday that it has a 7.72 per cent stake in Liontown, and intends to have a say in the future of one of the world’s biggest lithium projects.