Despite Taking a $17 Million Hit, Lewis Hamilton Maintains His Supremacy Over Max Verstappen

After a very long time, Mercedes struggled to pose a threat for both championships. Lewis Hamilton, for the very first time in his career, went a full season without a race win. The struggles for the Briton were not limited to the F1 track, however.

His earnings in 2022 took a massive fall of $17 million from the last year. Despite that, he maintains an upper hand over rival Max Verstappen.

If 2021 was a depressing campaign for Hamilton, owing to the heartbreak in Abu Dhabi, 2022 was a big disappointment. As the team struggled to cope with the new regulations, the car just did not have to pace to challenge Red Bull.

Moreover, the porpoising issue took a toll on drivers’ health, with Hamilton enduring more than his Mercedes counterpart. The on-track struggles were not the only worry throughout the season, though.

As per Forbes’ report, Hamilton dropped from the 8th highest-earning athlete in 2021 to 17th in 2022. The 7-time world champion earned $65 million in 2022 as opposed to $82 million earned in the previous year. Hamilton earned only $57 million in 2022, owing to zero race wins.

Comparatively, he took home a whopping $70 million in 2021. Despite that, his income from outside of F1 has grown from $8m to $12m.

Read More: Max Verstappen Resorts to Damage Control on His Notorious Tussles With Lewis Hamilton: “Have to Be Careful…”

Incidentally, Max Verstappen is the 26th highest-earning athlete with total earnings of $48 million. Recent FIFA World Cup winner Lionel Messi topped the list, earning $130 million, earning $75 million from on-field activities, and $55 million off it.

Lewis Hamilton put in a gigantic investment in an F1-based Hollywood movie

Lewis is currently working on a Hollywood project as a producer. The movie will have Brad Pitt in the star cast, with Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski at the helm. The movie will reportedly cost $140 million and will be based on F1 as the main theme.

He also has a documentary in the pipeline, both projects being made under the banner named Dawn Apollo Films.

In an interview with Deadline in November last year, Hamilton revealed the reasoning behind the naming of the production house.

He told, “Apollo is the Greek god of sunlight, music and poetry, so I’ve always loved the name. Dawn because it is a time of other-worldliness and light, and symbolizes new beginnings. It’s generally a time of day that I love.”

Watch This Story: Lewis Hamilton Kicks Off Mammoth $140 Million Hollywood Passion Project

Brad Pitt was present at the 2022 US Grand Prix, researching for the upcoming film. He even took a tour of the track while he was there at COTA. The movie has already created a lot of buzz around it among F1 fans. Can’t wait for it to hit the screens!