Lewis Hamilton drops to 22nd in SportsPro marketability rankings

Lewis Hamilton has lost his place at the top of sport’s marketability rankings, slipping behind his own Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc. The seven-time world champion topped SportsPro’s annual list last year but dropped to 22nd in the 2026 edition created with data from NorthStar Solutions Group. Leclerc is now the highest-ranked F1 driver in ninth, having sat at 25th last year. This shift reflects a significant drop in Hamilton’s score, which fell to 66.63 out of 100 from 96.03 previously, leaving him behind Leclerc on 71.12.

The New Top Spots

Aryna Sabalenka 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. Max Verstappen is the only other F1 driver in the top 50, climbing from 81st to 48th. Looking beyond the top 50 reveals surprising names, such as Oscar Piastri at 56th, who interestingly sits ahead of McLaren team-mate Lando Norris. Norris dropped from 41st to 78th, while Kimi Antonelli, F1’s new world champion, only scrapes into the top 150 in 126th. These scores are built from brand equity, momentum, and room for commercial growth, covering the period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.

Context and Performance

The rankings cover much of Hamilton’s difficult first season at Ferrari, during which he failed to finish on the podium for a grand prix. His season this year has been a very different story, with him sitting second in the drivers’ standings for many early races. With three races to go, he sits fourth and is 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, reaching into fashion and film. Antonelli’s title in Mexico earlier this month is not included at all because it falls outside the specific data window used for the calculation. I find the exclusion of recent results frustrating, as it paints an incomplete picture of current form. Nevertheless, the numbers clearly show Leclerc holding the advantage in marketability metrics for now.