Last season saw the most exciting finish to a Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship in some time.
With Lewis Hamilton up against Max Verstappen for first place, it was an exhilarating end to a fantastic season of racing.
Despite Hamilton being pipped by his Red Bull rival, the Brit still remains the biggest name in F1 currently and this is unsurprisingly shown in the drivers’ reported Instagram earnings per post.
The grand slam finish to the championship last year has attracted more eyes than ever to the sport, and in combination with the Netflix show ‘Drive to Survive’, the popularity of the sport is ever-growing. In fact, it is the fastest-growing league sport in the world now and also possesses the highest post engagement rate of any major sport.
Starting with Verstappen, whose popularity has almost doubled in the last year, he now boasts just shy of eight million Twitter followers. Predictably, however, this is far less than Hamilton, who has a crazy 27 million followers.
As with all celebrities these days, each post on social media can earn them a significant amount of money if its sponsored. The increased engagement for F1 drivers means they can maximise endorsements across their platforms.
Lewis Hamilton was right up there in the top 10 highest-earning athletes in the world as of last year. Forbes had his net worth at about £62.5 million with a further £9 million coming in from various sponsorship deals.
According to a study from Click4Reg Private Plates, it won't be long before his fellow F1 drivers catch him up.
Below is how much each competitor could now earn from each sponsored Instagram post.
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - £66,633
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - £19,652
Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) - £15,666
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - £15,005
Lando Norris (McLaren) - £12,119
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - £10,142
Fernando Alonso (Alpine) - £9,837
Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - £8,350
Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) - £7,285
George Russell (Mercedes) - £7,214
According to these statistics, Verstappen’s potential income per post has increased by 98% since the beginning of the 2021 season, while his fellow Red Bull competitor Perez has shot up by 115%.
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - MARCH 10: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on during Day One of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on March 10, 2022 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
English drivers Lando Norris and George Russell have also shot up, and will only continue to rise as they look to carry on Britain’s driving legacy whenever it may be that Lewis Hamilton retires.
The 2022 F1 season begins this weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where fans will be praying for a season similar to the last.