Lewis Hamilton leads Max Verstappen as George Russell 10th in Instagram payment table

Lewis Hamilton refuses to let 2021 season ‘define’ his career

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Lewis Hamilton might have been controversially denied finishing top of the F1 title standings last season, but he continues to dominate in the Instagram stakes. Hamilton, 37, remains one of the most high-profile athletes in world sport, and boasts a net worth way in excess of £200 million.

Indeed, the seven-time world champion has undoubtedly helped boost the sport’s profile, with 1.55 billion people tuning in to watch the competition in 2021, up four per cent from the previous year.

The Mercedes man’s battle with eventual world champion Max Verstappen was a major factor in the elevated interest, especially given the title race went down to the final lap of the season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

And new studies have revealed the viewership growth has also translated across to social media.

Indeed, Click4Reg Private Plates has concluded its own investigation into which F1 driver could earn the most from a sponsored Instagram post.

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And the findings make good reading for Hamilton, who has nearly 27 million followers on the platform. He is comfortably top of the list with the potential to earn up to £66,633 from each sponsored post. That represents an increase of 25 per cent increase in one year. 

In second is Red Bull driver Verstappen, who can earn around £19,652, meaning his earning potential has almost doubled in 12 months. His tally of 7.9 million followers is like to rise as he continues his career, as will earning opportunities.

Taking third place is McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, who could earn up to £15,666 from a single sponsored post; a 51 per cent rise since March 2021. 

Coming close behind in fourth is Ferrari’s Charles LeClerc with a possible earning from Instagram of £15,005 per post, while Lando Norris is fifth with a 94 per cent increase meaning that a sponsored post could fetch him up to £12,119.

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Carlos Sainz is sixth, with his sum calculated at £10,142, followed by Fernando Alonso (£9,837), whilst eighth placed Sergio Perez has enjoyed a massive 115 per cent increase at £8,350.

Valtteri Bottas was ninth at £7,285, giving him the scant consolation of being just above the man who has replaced him at the Silver Arrows, George Russell.

The British driver’s profile has risen immeasurably in the past 12 months, after notching his first podium finish last season at the rain affected Belgium Grand Prix.

The then Williams man was then confirmed as Hamilton’s new partner last September, and the increased scrutiny has been reflected in his Instagram numbers, with his figure of £7,214 representing a 75 per cent rise.

Outside of the top 10, other drivers that have seen their annual Instagram popularity increase are Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda (272 per cent) and Haas driver Nikita Mazepin (373 per cent).

Mazepin, 23, won’t be able to use F1 as a platform to expand interest this year though, having had his contract terminated by Haas amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

F1’s new entrant Guanyu Zhou, who will be racing for Alfa Romeo, is up 297 per cent.

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