Lewis Hamilton's huge career earnings as F1 superstar

By Mirror | 3yrs ago | 3 min read

Lewis Hamilton is arguably one of Britain's most successful sports stars thanks to his record-breaking heroics on the Formula One track. The British icon, 35, has romped to six world championships and is this year bidding to equal Ferrari icon Michael Schumacher's record haul.

Hamilton, already the greatest F1 driver on these chores, is well on track to becoming the best ever, with the Mercedes star just seven wins away from usurping Schumacher as the driver with the most wins. And with this success comes plenty of other perks - including money.

Hamilton, whose current contract with Mercedes expires at the end of the year, has a number of big-money sponsors backing him including Bose and Tommy Hilfiger.

Lewis Hamilton and his McLaren P1 [Photo: Courtesy]

So, as he ponders his next career move, we take a look at his career earnings so far...

1. F1 contracts

Hamilton already boasts the biggest contract in F1 history with his sky-high salary of Sh5 billion (£36million) a year with Mercedes. And the British star is expected to further increase his bank balance by next year, as he negotiates a new deal to remain with the all-conquering F1 team.

He is understood to be holding out for Sh6 billion (£40m) a year to extend his stay with the Silver Arrows. It's a far cry from his early days in F1, with Hamilton's previous contract before joining Mercedes seeing him earn Sh1.4billion (£10m-a-year) with McLaren.

Lewis Hamilton has six Formula One world titles [Photo: James Moy Photography/PA Images]

And even when he first linked up with his current team in 2013, Hamilton is understood to have penned a three-year deal with a basic salary of Sh3 billion (£20.9m).

2. Sponsorships

Hamilton and his Mercedes team have a mouth-watering list of sponsors backing the Briton. Indeed, it is understood that Mercedes boast an income of around Sh18 billion (£132m-a-year) thanks to at least 12 companies linking up with them.

While all of that money won't be going directly to Hamilton, it's fair to assume that the six-time world champion's on-track exploits, and the doors he opens, is key to bringing big names on board. And he'll no doubt be duly rewarded with his own share of big-money deals.

Malaysian state oil and gas company Petronas are Mercedes' title sponsor - the team's biggest sponsor - provide around Sh7 billion (£50m) per year. Petrochemicals company Ineos came on board this season, signing a five-year deal thought to be worth around Sh14 billion (£100m).

Sportswear manufacturer Puma pay roughly Sh280 million (£2m) a year, with Hamilton taking part in launch events and donning their gear. Meanwhile, audio giant Bose provides around Sh350 million (£2.5m) while drinks-maker Monster Energy - a long-term backer of Hamilton - have a Sh209 (£1.5m) -a-year agreement with Mercedes. UBS, Epson and IWC Schaffhausen are also understood to have seven-figure agreements.

3. Tommy Hilfiger

There's no forgetting Tommy Hilfiger, who pay around Sh560 million (£4m) per year to have a deal with Mercedes. Hamilton also has his own fashion line with the clothing giant and is regularly seen donning their gear.