F1 Legend Named Most Marketable Athlete in the Motorsport World

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has been named the most marketable athlete in motorsport for the 2024 season by SportsPro. His ranking as the 11th overall most marketable athlete proves his lasting influence not only in racing but the wider world of sports. This will be his 14th appearance in SportsPro’s esteemed annual list of the world’s 50 Most Marketable (50MM) athletes since 2010, having only missed out in 2019.

Throughout his career, Hamilton has been a formidable force not only on the track, but also in business, fashion, and charity, clinching titles, and setting records virtually from the beginning, while also bringing about change through equality and the fight against racism.

His early success in junior racing included championships like the Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship in 2003 and the GP2 Series Championship in 2006. After making his Formula 1 debut in 2007 with McLaren, Hamilton quickly made his performance known by securing multiple records for consecutive podium finishes and scoring the highest points in a debut season. Over time, he amassed seven World Drivers’ Championships, tying him with the legendary Michael Schumacher.

His professional journey exploded in 2014 after his first Drivers Title win with Mercedes, and it’s expected to do the same again when he moves to the Ferrari team in 2025.

Hamilton’s recent high-profile partnerships with brands such as Dior and CFI, complement his already extensive appeal beyond being sat behind the wheel.

While Hamilton takes the top spot within motorsport, rival drivers such as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also made appearances on the 50MM list, ranking 31st and 33rd respectively.

Verstappen, following his 2021 World Drivers’ Championship win, maintains partnerships with brands including Heineken and EA Sports. Leclerc, Hamilton’s 2025 teammate, has strong relationships with Puma and Bang & Olufsen. Both McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri round out the list of Formula 1 drivers in the top 50, proving just how much the sport has grown in the last few years alone.

The surge, mostly within the United States, owes much to the likes of races like the Miami Grand Prix and the new Las Vegas Grand Prix. On top of this, Netflix‘s “Drive to Survive” series has grown a large league of motorsport into a behemoth.

Hamilton now turns his focus to the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix where he will look to turn his luck around after a difficult weekend in Austin. Driving at the Circuit of Americas, he struggled in both qualifying and the Grand Prix where he beached the car after starting P17, unable to finish Sunday’s race.