Lewis Hamilton Beats Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc to Be Labeled as the Most Marketable Driver

SportsPro recently published its annual list of Most Marketable Athletes across the world and Lewis Hamilton has ranked 11th on it, the highest-ranking motorsport athlete. Behind Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have made the top 50.

Hamilton has actually dropped in this ranking list relative to last year when he ranked seventh overall. Nevertheless, the seven-time world champion has a marketability score of 83.65. SportsPro has analyzed all athletes based on three parameters: Athlete Brand Strength, Total Addressable Market, and Economics.

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Hamilton beat Leclerc and Verstappen by some margin, as the Red Bull driver is 31st on the list while the Ferrari driver is 33rd. Verstappen and Leclerc have marketability scores of 74.8 and 73.8, respectively.

While both of them score better than Hamilton in their brand strength, Leclerc loses immensely on the Economics parameter. On the other hand, Verstappen loses out on both addressable market and economics. Hamilton’s fan base is certainly quite extensive relative to these young stars of the sport.

While Verstappen, Leclerc, Norris, and Piastri have a decent following, they have a long way to go in matching Hamilton’s appeal as F1’s icon. Besides his on-track exploits, Hamilton’s off-track ventures in fashion, entrepreneurship, and music attract several fans all over the world, irrespective of whether they watch him in F1 or not.

This definitely helps Hamilton’s marketability. Moreover, his appearances at fashion events, and music festivals, and his stances for social causes make him an endearing figure for the masses.

Hamilton’s commercial appeal

Hamilton’s associations with several brands in and outside of F1 have increased exponentially over the years. Brands like Tommy Hilfiger, IWC Schaffhausen, and Petronas — who sponsor Mercedes — have utilized his massive commercial appeal immensely.

In fact, Mercedes also considered offering Hamilton an ambassadorial role after his retirement from F1. While that didn’t come to pass, Ferrari is reportedly considering doing so, as he moves to Maranello in 2025.

The Italian brand is keen on capitalizing on Hamilton’s marketability besides boosting their F1 operation on track. That was a major motivation for Ferrari to secure his signing on a multi-year deal, as a Hamilton-Ferrari association could have limitless potential from a sporting and commercial perspective.