F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Lewis Hamilton tops Britain's richest athletes list

Lewis Hamilton has become the richest British sports star in the history of the Sunday Times Rich List, the Mercedes driver boosting his fortune to an estimated £224 million at the end of last year.

Hamilton, who conquered his sixth world title in 2019, saw his total wealth grow by £37 million, a gain that pushed the 35-year-old past the £200 million threshold hit by Britain's previous richest athlete in 2013, footballer David Beckham.

However, Hamilton might be hard pressed to rake in another £37 million this year given the current status of Formula 1.

With the sport at a standstill amid the coronavirus crisis, F1 teams are set to suffer a massive drop in revenue, with the shortfall forcing drivers - including the sport's top earners - to take a significant pay cut.

Furthermore, Hamilton has yet to commit to Mercedes for 2021 and beyond, but F1's economic downturn is unlikely to enable the 84-time Grand Prix winner to negotiate a lucrative mega deal.

Among Britain's sportsmen, Rory McIlroy is the only other professional athlete who made the main Rich List cut, thanks to a fortune that rose by £32 million to £170 million overall.

Wales footballer Gareth Bale topped the under 30-year-old Young Rich List with a net worth of £114 million thanks mainly to a high-income contract with Real Madrid.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Verstappen warns of ‘big shunts’ at daunting new Madrid circuit

Max Verstappen is expecting Formula 1’s latest new race on the calendar to come with…

2 hours ago

Brundle: Russell likely ‘bruised’ by painful Monza defeat

Sky F1's Martin Brundle suspects George Russell has every reason to look back on Monza…

4 hours ago

Scheckter brings it home for Ferrari and himself at Monza

On this day in 1979, Jody Scheckter delivered the world title to himself and to…

5 hours ago

A new Iceman cometh: Robin Raikkonen joins Red Bull Junior Team

The legend of the Iceman officially enters its next generation. Robin Räikkönen, the 11-year-old karting…

6 hours ago

Hamilton sends Ferrari fans clear message: ‘I don’t race dirty’

Lewis Hamilton has moved to extinguish any fears that his opening-lap clash with Charles Leclerc…

7 hours ago

Wolff: Antonelli ‘like an AI agent’ in relentless F1 evolution

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has watched Kimi Antonelli’s rise from promising rookie to Formula 1…

8 hours ago