Ferrari still laughing all the way to the bank despite Lewis' poor F1 form

[John S]

Seems Euros in the bank may ease the pain somewhat. 

https://www.grandprix.com/news/hamilton-still-worth-70m-eur-to-ferrari-despite-slump.html

[Jericoke]

Has any athlete been worth that much to anyone ever?  (You know, aside from incalculable worth of being a parent/child/spouse/best friend)

Maybe Michael Jordan's 'Air' brand for Nike?

[Dare]

This surprised me   

   LeBron James Sport - Basketball Off-Field Earnings - $80,000,000 With an estimated net worth of $1 billion, LeBron James is one of the highest-earning athletes today. Since January 2024 to date, James has earned $80 million thanks to a strong portfolio of endorsement deals with major brands, including Nike, PepsiCo, Beats by Dre, and Walmart. His lifetime deal with Nike, in particular, is extremely lucrative, reportedly worth over a billion dollars. On top of this, the basketball megastar also has a number of business ventures away from the court, which all play a significant part in his current earnings.

 

[John S]

Dare, me ole pal me ole beauty, the money talked about by me & Jeri is to the team, or some other interested party; where as you are quoting personal endorsements.

I'm sure Lewis has plenty of side deals for personal sponsorship, nothing like the huge sums you quote though, so you're right in those terms.

[Dare]

I'm sure James brings plenty of money to the team in people buying tickets
to see him play and buy team merchandise.

[Jericoke]

Dare, me ole pal me ole beauty, the money talked about by me & Jeri is to the team, or some other interested party; where as you are quoting personal endorsements.

I'm sure Lewis has plenty of side deals for personal sponsorship, nothing like the huge sums you quote though, so you're right in those terms.

At his best, Michael Schumacher was the top paid athlete in sport, including total endorsements, and that included Michael Jordan.

Now, I still feel that the Air Jordan brand is still a major money maker, both for Nike and Jordan himself.  I don't know that any athlete has ever created that, but I suppose Bruce McLaren is the foundation for McLaren, and Chevrolet is named for the Swiss driver.  Even Henry Ford used prize money from a race to seed the current Ford Motor Company, but he wasn't really an athlete.  Enzo did race, but Ferrari isn't built on his athletic reputation either.  I'd have to look into it but there are strong NASCAR and Indycar teams founded by driver/owners

Schumacher never built anything like that, that I'm aware of.  Similarly, if this is Hamiton's final act (which I doubt, but who knows?) his contribution to Ferrari's bottom line will also become a footnote.

But yeah, American basketball players really do seem to get enormous endorsement deals that seem absurd, especially when you consider how small basketball is in total revenue generated.  (It's still a fabulous amount of money, but peanuts compared with football of either stripe)

[Dare]

Here's a list I found on Google. I wonder how good Graham Hill's team would
have been if he hadn't died in the plane crash

Formula 1
Jack Brabham: Founded Brabham (Motor Racing Developments Ltd.) and became the only driver to win an F1 title driving his own car.
Bruce McLaren: Founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing, now known as the McLaren Group.
John Surtees: Set up the Surtees Racing Organisation.
Graham Hill: Formed Embassy Racing with Graham Hill.
Wilson Fittipaldi: Co-founded Fittipaldi Automotive with his brother Emerson.
Jackie Stewart: Co-founded Stewart Grand Prix with his son Paul.
Alain Prost: Purchased the Ligier team, which became Prost Grand Prix.
NASCAR
Kevin Harvick: Founded Kevin Harvick Incorporated.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Founded JR Motorsports.
Tony Stewart: Co-founded Stewart-Haas Racing.
Kyle Busch: Founded Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Michael Waltrip: Founded Michael Waltrip Racing.
Brad Keselowski: Owned Brad Keselowski Racing, which later became Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.
Jimmie Johnson: Is expected to be involved in the Legacy Motor Club beginning in 2025.
IndyCar
A.J. Foyt: Owns A. J. Foyt Enterprises.
Bobby Rahal: Co-founded Rahal Hogan Racing, which eventually became Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Michael Andretti: Transformed the family name into Andretti Autosport.
Ed Carpenter: Drives for his own team, Ed Carpenter Racing, on ovals.

[Andy B]

It seems that in 2025 LH will earn with Ferrari salary and personal endorsements in excess of $100 million give or take a few mill.