That said, the numbers are wild. As Motorsport.com Deutschland reports, Lewis Hamilton has lost his crown as the most marketable athlete on the planet, tumbling all the way down to 22nd in the latest rankings. Back in 2025, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion sat proudly at the very top of the annual SportsPro list of the 50 most marketable athletes, which is built on data from the NorthStar Solutions Group. Now, his score has plummeted from 96.03 down to 66.63 out of 100 possible points.
Remarkably, his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc is now the highest-placed Formula 1 driver on the list. Leclerc climbed all the way from 25th last year up to ninth with 71,12 points. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is the only other Formula 1 driver to crack the top 50, pushing his way up from 81st to 48th.
Looking further down into the top 100 brings some genuine surprises. Oscar Piastri sits at 56th, putting him ahead of his McLaren teammate and 2025 Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris, who itself dropped sharply from 41st to 78th. Further back, the new world champion Kimi Antonelli just squeaks into the top 150 at 126th.
Here is the catch with the data. The ranking measures brand equity, momentum, and commercial growth potential rather than actual sponsorship earnings. On top of that, the evaluation model was thoroughly overhauled for 2026, meaning year-on-year comparisons come with a massive asterisk. The assessment period ran from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, which means Antonelli's title win in Mexico in 2026 did not count at all. Crucially, that window captures a brutal stretch of Hamilton's difficult first year at Ferrari, a period where he failed to secure a single Grand Prix podium.
Reality on track looks quite different for the veteran. Hamilton has fought back strongly during the 2026 Formula 1 season, running as high as second in the drivers' standings at points. With three races left in the season, he sits fourth and remains firmly in the fight for second place behind the champion Antonelli.
Unlike most of his peers on the grid, Hamilton's reach stretches far beyond racing. He runs his own beverage brand, stays deeply active in fashion, works as a film producer, and pushes his Mission 44 foundation to help underrepresented groups break into professional careers.
F1
F1
