Lewis Hamilton loses most marketable athlete crown as Charles Leclerc moves ahead
Lewis Hamilton has lost his place at the top of sport’s marketability rankings, and has slipped behind his own Ferrari team-mate too.
The seven-time world champion topped SportsPro’s annual list of the 50 Most Marketable Athletes last year, but has dropped to 22nd in the 2026 edition, which was created with data from NorthStar Solutions Group.
Aryna Sabalenka, the Belarusian tennis star, sits at the very top of the list ahead of freestyle skier Eileen Gu, basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo, footballer Erling Haaland and tennis player Carlos Alcaraz.
Charles Leclerc is now the highest-ranked F1 driver, in ninth after he sat at 25th last year. Hamilton’s score has dropped to 66.63 out of 100, from 96.03 last year, leaving him behind Leclerc on 71.12.
Max Verstappen is the only other F1 driver in the top 50, having climbed from 81st to 48th.
Looking beyond the top 50 to the top 100 adds some surprising names to the list. Oscar Piastri is 56th, interestingly ahead of McLaren team-mate and 2025 champion Lando Norris, who has dropped from 41st to 78th. Kimi Antonelli, F1’s new world champion, only scrapes into the top 150 in 126th.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
As you would imagine, these scores are built from brand equity, momentum and room for commercial growth. They cover the period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026. That means Antonelli’s title in Mexico earlier this month is not included at all.
It also means the rankings cover much of Hamilton’s difficult first season at Ferrari. In that time period, he failed to finish on the podium for a grand prix. His season this year has been a very different story, with him sat second in the drivers’ standings for many of the early races. With three races to go, he sits fourth and still in the fight for second place.
The Briton still ranks well above most of the grid, and his brand stretches far beyond just the racing, from fashion to film.
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