Formula 1 drivers are bona fide global stars, widely recognized not just in the motorsport community but also amongst the growing number of racing enthusiasts worldwide. In addition to representing major sponsors on their F1 racing cars, these drivers often serve as the face of global brands, forging lucrative endorsement deals that significantly boost their already substantial earnings. Through partnerships with high-profile companies ranging from luxury goods to technology—F1 drivers enjoy a level of fame and financial success that extends beyond the racetrack.
The following list has been derived from the Top 150 Most Marketable Athletes 2024 list published by Sports Pro 55mm in October, 2024.
The criteria for selection and rankings are as follows –
Let’s take a look at the Most Marketable faces from the World of Formula 1 racing in 2024 –
The 19-year-old British racing driver, Oliver Bearman is a reserve driver for the Scuderia Ferrari and Haas F1 teams. He made his F1 Grand Prix debut in 2024 at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix replacing Carlos Sainz Jr. for Scuderia Ferrari. He finished an impressive seventh place becoming the youngest driver to score F1 points on debut. He has raced in F1 for two more races so far. He has signed a multi-year agreement with Haas to drive for them in F1 from 2025 onwards.
Oliver Bearman will be earning a yearly salary between £250,000 to £300,000 with the Haas Team.
However, this is the lower end of the spectrum for salaries in the F1. He has added brand endorsement deals to his earnings with Catalyst, FunderPro, Aventum and Modex.
The 26-year-old British driver, George Russel races in the F1 circuits with the Mercedes AMG Petronas team with the legendary Lewis Hamilton. Russell has two Grand Prix wins, three pole positions, eight fastest laps and 14 podium finishes to his name in Formula 1 so far.
The British driver earns $18 million in yearly salary from Mercedes. Apart from the salary and sponsorships associated with his car constructor Mercedes and AMG, he also has personal brand endorsement deals with Bell Helmets, BMDC, Alpinestars, UBS, Tommy Hilfiger and IWC Schaffhausen.
He has also collaborated with Belstaff and PUMA in the past two years.
Scuderia Ferrari’s Spanish Driver, Carlos Sainz Jr. has seen success in the last few seasons and being a Formula 1 racer with Ferrari does provide the kind of platform for drivers to become popular, with many brands queuing up for their collaboration. Sainz has four Grand Prix wins, six pole positions, four fastest laps and 25 podium finishes in his career to date. His contract with Ferrari ends this season and he will be joining Williams Racing from 2025 onwards.
Carlos Sainz Jr receives a yearly salary of $12 million from Scuderia Ferrari. In addition to the earnings on the circuit, he also has a brand portfolio consisting of Santander, Estrella Galicia and Ray-Ban Meta. Sainz has also collaborated with Schuberth Helmets, PlayStation and Shiseido Men in the past few years.
Sainz also partnered with OTK Kart Group, an Italian racing karting company, to launch the brand in 2024.
Australian racing driver, Oscar Piastri drives for the Mclaren F1 team in the Formula 1. The talented young driver debuted at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2023 and since then he has achieved two Grand Prix wins, three fastest laps and nine podium finishes. In his debut season, Piastri almost broke Lewis Hamilton’s record of maximum points by a rookie. The consistent performances have not only earned him an improved salary package but also gotten him brand endorsement deals.
Oscar Piastri currently earns an yearly salary of $6 million from Mclaren. In addition to his salary from the racing tracks, he also has several brand endorsement deals in his kitty which include Quadlock, Dubber and HP Tuners.
He also owns an official online store called shop.oscarpiastri.com which consists of apparel, accessories and miniature-scale racing helmets as well.
British racing driver, Lando Norris features on the most marketable list of Formula 1 drivers as well. Norris is a well-known name in the F1 fanbases now having six seasons of F1 races under his belt. Norris has three Grand Prix wins, eight pole positions, ten fastest laps and 25 podium finishes in his career so far. The consistent performances over the last few years have landed him many brand deals.
Lando Norris receives a yearly salary of $25 million including bonuses from Mclaren. In addition, he has lucrative brand deals with Ralph Lauren Fragrances, TUMI, Richard Mille, Bell Helmets, ADD Management, Wearegrip, Pure Electric and PAP.
Norris also founded an esports team called Quadrant which generates revenues from partnerships and merchandise. In 2021, he also found a racing kart company called LN Racing kart to enable young upcoming drivers to hone their skills.
Norris has also appeared in ad campaigns for Hilton hotels and PlayStation.
A professional F1 racing driver from the Monégasque, Charles Leclerc has risen through the ranks in motorsport making his Formula 1 debut in 2018 with the Sauber F1 team (now called Alfa Romeo) to his move to the iconic Scuderia Ferrari F1 team in 2019. Leclerc has impressed one and all with his performances. He has eight Grand Prix wins, 24 pole positions and 41 podium finishes so far. He came second in the World Championship standings in 2022 losing to Max Verstappen.
The consistent performances with Scuderia Ferrari have seen his stocks rising and being able to bag major brand endorsement deals which has further added to his earnings. Charles Leclerc is currently earning a yearly salary of $34 million from Ferrari.
In addition, his brand endorsements include an expansive portfolio consisting of Puma, Bang & Olufsen, Georgio Armani, Ray Ban, Celsius, Peroni Nastro Azzuro, Vistajet, Richard Mille and EA Sports.
He also started his own low calorie ice cream brand called LEC in April, 2024.
The new face of Formula 1 racing, Dutch professional F1 racer Max Verstappen is the one to beat right now. Along with teammate Sergio Pérez, Verstappen has been vital to Red Bull’s success in the Formula 1 for the last three years. Three-times Champion in consecutive years, Verstappen is leading the race yet again in 2024. Known for his aggressive temperament and driving, he is the one to watch on the F1 circuits. All the recent success has inevitably led to massive earnings in salary and brand deals.
Max Verstappen currently earns a whopping $55 mil excluding bonuses from Red Bull Racing. He took home $70 million in salary earnings last year ahead of Lewis Hamilton who earned $55 million.
In addition, his other earnings include endorsement deals with Red Bull, Via Play, EA Sports and Heineken. Verstappen has also collaborated with Ziggo, Jumbo, G-Star RAW and CarNext.com in the last few years.
One of the most popular and successful Formula 1 racers of all-time, Lewis Hamilton holds the record for the most F1 wins with a staggering 105 wins to date. Lewis Hamilton has seen great success with the Mercedes F1 team but this will be his last season with Mercedes, switching to Scuderia Ferrari from 2025 onwards. He has 105 Grand Prix wins, 104 pole positions, 67 fastest laps and 201 podium finishes. Continued success at the highest level has seen a massive rise in his net worth not just from on-track salary but also from his numerous brand endorsement deals.
His current salary from Mercedes F1 team is a yearly $45 million. Hamilton also earns a sizeable amount from his numerous brand endorsements that include Dior, CFI, Tommy Hilfiger, Monster Energy, Puma, IWC, Sony, Bell Helmets, MV Agusta Motorcycles, Petronas, Police, Vodafone and Rimowa.
In addition, Hamilton has added to his net worth with several smart investments.
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