Lewis Hamilton knocked off commercial throne as Charles Leclerc overtakes him

Lewis Hamilton has suffered a major commercial fall with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc now ranked as Formula 1's most marketable driver.

The seven-time world champion has plummeted from first to 22nd in SportsPro's latest 50 Most Marketable Athletes list, losing the crown he claimed in 2025.

Leclerc, meanwhile, has surged into the global top 10, climbing from 25th to ninth to become the highest-ranked F1 driver in the standings.

It marks a remarkable reversal of fortunes for the Ferrari pair, with Hamilton having been named the most marketable athlete in world sport just 12 months ago.

The latest rankings also offer an insight into the commercial value of F1's biggest names, with Hamilton still boasting an enormous global profile despite slipping behind his younger team-mate.

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Hamilton falls in marketability rankings

Hamilton - now 41 years old - had topped SportsPro's 2025 list with an impressive score of 96.03 out of 100, becoming the oldest athlete in the history of the rankings to claim first place.

It was the second time he had topped the list, underlining his extraordinary appeal to sponsors and commercial partners around the world.

His arrival at Ferrari in 2025 generated enormous interest, with the British driver continuing to build his commercial portfolio through partnerships across fashion, technology and lifestyle.

However, the latest rankings make for very different reading.

Hamilton has fallen to 22nd place, with his marketability score standing at 66.63 out of 100.

That is a 21-place drop from the top of the rankings and a considerable change from his position as the most commercially attractive athlete in world sport.

Leclerc moves ahead of Ferrari team-mate

While Hamilton has slipped down the rankings, Leclerc has made significant progress. Leclerc scored 71.12 out of 100, putting him 4.49 points ahead of Hamilton.

His rise also places him among some of the biggest names in global sport, with tennis star Aryna Sabalenka topping the overall list ahead of freestyle skier Eileen Gu and basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Leclerc's position reflects the strength of his personal brand and his appeal to major commercial partners.

The Ferrari driver has developed a strong presence beyond the circuit, with partnerships including luxury watchmaker Richard Mille, VistaJet, APM Monaco and L'Oréal Paris.

Why has Hamilton fallen behind Leclerc?

SportsPro's rankings are designed to measure an athlete's marketability rather than simply their sporting achievements or earnings.

The 2026 assessment uses three key areas: brand equity, momentum and commercial trajectory. These combine to assess an athlete's existing brand strength, the growth of their commercial appeal and their future potential.

The figures are based on data collected between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.

Hamilton's score of 66.63 included 34.98 for brand equity, 28.36 for momentum and 3.29 for commercial trajectory.

Leclerc, by comparison, scored 39.68 for brand equity, 19.85 for momentum and 11.59 for commercial trajectory.

That final category is particularly significant. While Hamilton retains considerable brand recognition and commercial influence, the assessment places Leclerc ahead when it comes to future commercial growth.

At 41, Hamilton is also at a very different stage of his career to his 29-year-old team-mate.

Chris Collins, president of NorthStar Solutions Group, which powers the rankings, explained that Hamilton's position was not a reflection of a weakened personal brand, but rather the shorter commercial runway associated with his age and career stage.

He said: "What keeps him below the top ten isn't his brand, it's time. At 41, there is naturally less career runway ahead, and a forward-looking assessment should read a great career in its later chapters exactly that way."

Collins also described Hamilton as having the strongest momentum of any driver in the field, with brands continuing to move towards him.

The rankings therefore do not suggest Hamilton has suddenly lost his commercial appeal. Rather, they indicate that Leclerc has greater perceived room for future commercial growth.

Hamilton is not the only F1 star to suffer a fall

Hamilton is not the only big name from Formula 1 to experience a change in commercial fortunes.

Max Verstappen has climbed to 48th place, while George Russell is 55th and Oscar Piastri 56th.

Lando Norris, who won the 2025 world championship, has dropped to 78th place, behind McLaren team-mate Piastri.

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Written by

Graham Shaw - Consultant Editor

Digital sports leader with 30 years of senior level experience running global brands. Built sportinglife.com to be a behemoth in the UK as well as being in charge of the Planet Sport network of sites including planetf1.com, football365.com, teamtalk.com and planetrugby.com. Then grew goal.com to be the world's biggest soccer website in 18 languages and 37 territories. Was GM of Portals for Perform Group (now DAZN) with overall responsibility for sportingnews.com, spox.de and voetbalzone.nl.

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