The Business Empire of Lewis Hamilton, the World's Highest-Paid F1 Driver

This year, British F1 driver and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton moved from Mercedes-AMG Petronas to Ferrari. Due to factors such as adapting to a new car, he has not yet stood on the podium in any race this year, finishing sixth in the recent Italian Grand Prix.

However, off the F1 track, Hamilton's commercial performance is dazzling. According to Forbes' 2025 list of the world's highest-paid athletes, Hamilton ranks 22nd with total earnings of $80 million, of which $60 million comes from team salary and bonuses, and $20 million from off-track activities. He is also the highest-earning F1 driver on the list.

According to The Sunday Times 2025 Rich List, Hamilton has a net worth of £385 million (approximately $518 million).

In fact, beyond his identity as a racing driver, Hamilton is exploring more possibilities. He not only endorses fashion and luxury brands but also invests widely in companies across different sectors. He has founded his own lifestyle brand +44 and a non-alcoholic tequila brand Almave. He also recently took on the new role of producer for the hit film "F1: Drive to Survive," investing a significant amount in the movie. Hamilton said the film took four years to produce.

Above: Hamilton (right) with Brad Pitt (left), star of "F1: Drive to Survive," on the set at Silverstone

In January 2024, Hamilton established his personal career and commercial venture management company, Project 44, to oversee all these business projects, brand partnerships, and his racing career. Recently, the company was renamed Lewis Hamilton Ventures to better reflect its connection to Hamilton. In terms of responsibilities, the company team focuses on ensuring business projects deliver results and overseeing off-track affairs, while Hamilton himself remains primarily focused on his competitive performance in F1.

Hamilton once said in an interview with CNBC: "I can't race forever. It's not bad to have other things that allow me to be creative and fully engaged. You can't think about racing 24 hours a day; you'd go crazy."

Above: Hamilton with Apple CEO Tim Cook on the cover of Variety

Endorsements from Luxury and Fashion Brands

In 2007, Swiss luxury watch brand TAG Heuer announced Hamilton as a brand ambassador, having already sponsored him personally for years. The partnership with TAG Heuer marked the beginning of Hamilton's endorsement career.

In 2013, Hamilton signed with Mercedes-AMG Petronas. In June of that year, the team's title sponsor, Richemont Group's luxury watch brand IWC, announced Hamilton as a brand ambassador.

That same year, Hamilton gained support from German sportswear brand PUMA, which provided him with professional race suits and footwear. In 2017, PUMA announced Hamilton as its brand ambassador for performance, featuring him in advertising campaigns.

Also in 2017, Hamilton began his fashion journey, appearing in a campaign for German luxury brand HUGO BOSS.

In 2018, American fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger announced Hamilton as its top-tier global brand ambassador. Hamilton recalled in an interview with The Athletic that the collaboration stemmed from his attendance at the Met Gala: "I met Tommy Hilfiger himself, and he said he liked my outfit that day and told me I should work with him."

Above: Tommy Hilfiger (left) and Lewis Hamilton (right)

In 2024, French luxury brand Dior announced Hamilton as a men's fashion brand ambassador and guest designer, and he has since co-designed two lifestyle capsule collections for the brand.

Above: Hamilton designing the second capsule collection for Dior, which launched in July this year

In February this year, Hamilton became a brand ambassador for Canadian athletic apparel brand lululemon. He will work closely with the brand's research, innovation, design, and development teams to provide feedback on its athletic and lifestyle collections.

Launching Lifestyle Brand +44

Hamilton told The Guardian in 2015 that he had been interested in fashion since his teenage years. "I remember the first bespoke suit I bought was from Burberry. At that time, I felt there was nothing more striking than wearing a clean, pressed suit with a crisp shirt and a nice watch." He sees fashion as a way to express himself.

During his collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger, Hamilton began experimenting with clothing design, co-developing collections with the brand. This process inspired him to launch his own streetwear and lifestyle brand, +44.

After founding +44, Hamilton collaborated with Japanese artists Takashi Murakami and Hajime Sorayama, as well as American streetwear brand GOLF WANG, on limited-edition collections.

In 2022, +44 released a collaboration with Takashi Murakami, featuring six key items including short-sleeve T-shirts, long-sleeve T-shirts, hoodies, and jackets, priced between $60 and $200.

Above: Lewis Hamilton (left) and Takashi Murakami (right)

In December 2024, +44 released a collaboration with GOLF WANG, featuring motocross jackets, work jackets, shirts, accessories, and more. In March this year, +44 launched its second collaboration with Hajime Sorayama, titled "INFINITY." To coincide with the release, an exclusive pop-up event was held at the JUICE store in Shanghai's Julu district from March 19 to March 23, along with a launch event.

His vision for +44 is to become a platform that gathers creative talent, and he hopes the company can diversify like French luxury giant LVMH.

In 2023, he co-founded the non-alcoholic tequila brand Almave with Mexican distiller Iván Saldaña, co-founder of spirits brand Casa Lumbre. In August 2024, French spirits group Pernod Ricard acquired a minority stake in Almave. As part of the deal, Almave was included as a partner brand in Pernod Ricard's premium tequila and mezcal business subsidiary, House of Tequila.

Wide-Ranging Investments

In addition to running his brands, Hamilton has invested widely in sectors such as dining, fashion magazines, food technology, rugby teams, and pet food. His investment portfolio includes:

• UK meat-free burger chain Neat Burger (invested in 2019; the company went into liquidation in August this year);
• US vertical farming company Bowery Farming (2019);
• Invested in creating his own off-road electric vehicle team X44 (2020);
• Fashion magazine W (2020, co-acquired ownership with supermodel Karlie Kloss, film producer Jason Blum, and others);
• Chilean food tech company NotCo (2021);
• US National Football League team Denver Broncos (acquired minority stake in 2022);
• Vegan pet food company Bramble (2024).

| Image source: Lewis Hamilton's personal Instagram, +44, Almave official Instagram, fashionnetwork

| Editor: Esther