Hamilton set for rich pickings
Lewis Hamilton is poised to become the biggest earner in the history of sport.
Lewis Hamilton is poised to become the biggest earner in the history of sport.
The McLaren driver has taken Formula One by storm in his debut season, posting a series of stunning performances to lead the championship.
Now the 22-year-old Briton also has many of sport’s millionaires looking in their rear view mirrors.
And F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart, a global ambassador for RBS, believes it won’t be long before Hamilton’s earnings overtake those of Tiger Woods, David Beckham and Roger Federer.
Sir Jackie, a three-time world champion, said: “I think Lewis Hamilton has the potential to be the largest earner in the history of sport.
“Formula One and the motor industry globally is bigger than any sport; bigger than tennis, golf, athletics, soccer.
“It’s a whole manufacturing industry: engines, tyres, fuel and oil; all the components that go into a racing car.
“So, if Lewis Hamilton becomes the man I think he will become, he is going to be a global giant.”
Jackie was speaking at the London launch of the RBS Grand Prix Challenge – a worldwide contest in which fans test their skills in a Formula One simulator.
After watching Hamilton do it for real this season, he has few doubts the young driver can be world champion.
“He has a God-given skill but what impresses me most about Hamilton is that he’s the best-prepared young racing driver who’s ever entered Formula One.
“He’s not got carried away by the media adulation that comes to a young man who’s done as well as he has. But then, he has a good family unit who really help keep his feet firmly planted.
“Above all (Stewart points to his head), this is what really matters. And his head is good.”
Sir Jackie Stewart
