How Did Lewis Hamilton Magically Save Sinking F1?

The ever-dynamic world of Formula 1 keeps moving forward and the pace of its change can only be credited to the stakeholders that have given their 100% to the sport for most of their lives. The most prominent name when you think of F1 is Lewis Hamilton. In his quest for being the greatest racer of all time, he has been a game-changer for the sport itself. So great is his personal brand that the Briton has spread the good name of F1 in the entertainment world as well.

From humble beginnings to being knighted at Windsor Castle, the Briton has come a long way. The road has been filled with potholes in the form of exceptionally challenging external circumstances. But he never stopped. As a result of the same, it has helped Formula 1 to some extent to reach where it is today. One could also argue that his influence in the entertainment and sports world caused Liberty Media to take over the sport.

How did Lewis Hamilton help Liberty Media enter F1?

Ever since American media powerhouse, Liberty Media bought F1 off of CVC Capital Partners’ hand, the sport has been widely commercialized and has truly become a global phenomenon. Within one year of being owners, they gave Netflix the right to film the drivers and teams in the lesser-known about environment, which is the paddock, and back at their homes, across the globe. After that, there was no stopping the sport from reaching heights that surpassed its past popularity.

Athletic Interest said in their video about Lewis Hamilton: “F1 has benefitted a lot from Hamilton’s prominence in entertainment and sports world. You can even argue that he is part of the reason why Liberty Media entered the sport. The company and especially Drive to Survive are often credited with reviving F1. But before Drive to Survive, Hamilton was the first symbol for the new cosmopolitan, modern motorsport that stood against the boringness of last years under the lead of Bernie Ecclestone.”

In his pursuit to diversify his genius into the entertainment world, Lewis met Brad Pitt. That interaction, ladies and gentlemen, is where the foundation for F1’s first-ever Hollywood movie was laid.

Lewis Hamilton and Brad Pitt join hands as F1 enters showbiz to project the sport’s diverse future

Who better than Lewis Hamilton to bring realism to a movie centered around F1? And what better way is there than to team up with Oscar-winner Brad Pitt? Coming on board as an Executive producer for the Brad Pitt-starrer, Hamilton aims to get the F1 world to unite in creating a piece of art that is as realistic as it is creative.

The movie, tentatively titled ‘Apex’ will follow the life of Pitt’s character, Sonny Hayes as he attempts to join and revive a shipwrecked team, APXGP. Coincidentally, the production started right when Hamilton, too is attempting to revive his F1 career with Mercedes. But coming back to the movie – Hamilton’s home GP at Silverstone was the first location where shooting got underway. Lining up with the 20 drivers, Pitt took part in the formation lap but it was all hidden. None of the live broadcast cameras ever panned to the makeshift F1-F2 APXGP cars.

With this project, the Briton has not only forayed into the movie business but also made sure that the people around him make big bucks off it. He got Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff involved in pre-production. And because of Wolff’s connections, Pitt learned the craft of racing Formula cars. But the following is the most exhilarating part of the story. Even his British Bulldog, Roscoe has an important role to play in the film.

Read More: Lewis Hamilton Confirms Roscoe’s $250,000 Exploits Land Him Role With Brad Pitt in $140,000,000 Venture

While the final look of the scenes has only been witnessed by the audience at the live event, there is one part – a rather big part of Hamilton’s life that is in the public domain. It includes Hamilton’s multi-million dollar business ventures.

Lewis Hamilton’s business ventures and investments: The road to becoming a real ‘Billion Dollar Man’

Penthouses in New York and a waterfront Monaco dream home make up $130 million of Hamilton’s net worth, pretty fitting for one of his nicknames – the ‘Billion Dollar man’. Add to that, his extravagant collection of cars that totals around $16 million. His garage value would have been $27 million if he hadn’t sold his $11 million Pagani Zonda. And he can fund all this not only because of his multi-million dollar Mercedes contract but also because of his diversified business portfolio.

Here are all the sources from business investments that finance and maintain his current lavish lifestyle and also what might throw him into the league of sports billionaires:

1. Neat Burger: After going vegan in 2017, the 7-time champion saw a drastic positive change in his athletic performance. And since then, he has been F1’s poster boy for the promotion of veganism. Such was his passion for this subject that along with night club, Impresario, he was one of the early investors in Neat Burger, a 100% vegan restaurant. And since then, he has benefitted from the big boom in vegan consumers. In May of 2023, the company hit a valuation of $100 million. And to expand its global audience, Lewis Hamilton’s Neat Burger has expanded into the USA, getting Leonardo Dicaprio on board as an investor.
2. Athletic Greens: As the health and wellness industry finds more consumers with the passing of time, quality supply has to match this growing demand. The AG1 nutritional powder by Athletic Greens found an investor in Lewis Hamilton when they opened up the company for pumping in external money. The AG1 powder packs 75 ingredients and is a complete source of nutrition. In January 2022, the company hit the $1.2 billion valuation mark. And since then, it’s been on the up.
3. NotCo:  NotCo too is a vegan brand but has taken the game up a notch. It makes use of Artificial intelligence to analyze plant-based foods on a molecular level and helps restaurant chains like Burger King to create plant-based versions of their products.
4. Sports Ventures: Being a sportsman, naturally, his business portfolio includes investments in businesses like the entertainment start-up TMRW Sports, his E-racing team – X44, and NFL franchise Denver Broncos. There were reports stating his interest in buying the Chelsea Football Club by teaming up with Serena Williams.

It is more than safe to say that he has single-handedly brought about the change in F1 that generations of change-makers couldn’t do. His triumphant F1 career is a testament of his professionalism and work ethic. All we can wish him is the best as he tries to venture into the mainstream entertainment world of Hollywood and slams the throttle on revitalizing his prime days in F1.

WATCH THIS STORY | Lewis Hamiltons Biggest buys