A total of four current Formula One drivers have been named some of the highest paid athletes in the world, having been included on Forbes’ list of the 100 highest-paid athletes for 2016. Forbes completed the list on June 8 of this year and all values were listed in American dollars.
Topping the list this year was Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese football player, with of total of $88 million, consisting of a $56 million salary and $32 million worth of endorsements. He bumped American boxer, Floyd Mayweather, out of the top spot from 2015. Last year’s highest-paid athlete made a stunning $320 million.
Lewis Hamilton was ranked the highest of the four Formula One drivers, creeping his way closer to the top ten. He narrowly missed out on the top ten by only $4 million to American basketball player, Kobe Bryant. Hamilton advanced four places since last year’s list, making $46 million total. This includes a $42 million salary and $4 million for endorsements.
For comparison, his Mercedes teammate, Nico Rosberg, narrowly made it onto the list this year, ranking in 98th position. The German was not included in the list in 2015. The current World Drivers’ Championship leader makes less than half of what his teammate earns, generating a total of only $21 million. This includes a $20 million Mercedes salary and only $1 million in product endorsements.
Sebastian Vettel was included on the list again this year, earning $41 million, most of which was his salary. Although his $1 million in endorsements were enough to help him jump two places from last year, ranking 19th in 2016. His teammate, Kimi Räikkönen was not included on this list in 2016, although he was ranked 32nd in last year’s list.
With $36.5 million, Fernando Alonso made it onto the Forbes list once again. He takes a $35 million salary from McLaren-Honda and makes $1.5 million worth of endorsements. He was ranked 24th this year, dropping seven places compared to last year, despite his $1 million dollar salary increase.
To see the complete list of Forbes’ highest-paid athletes for 2016, click here.
