Ferrari managing to secure the signing of Lewis Hamilton ahead of the 2025 season is arguably the biggest deal in the history of Formula 1.
After 12 seasons with Mercedes, winning six drivers’ championships and eight constructors’ titles, Lewis Hamilton is embarking on the biggest challenge of his racing career.
Ferrari are the most successful team in the sport’s history but have been starved of that success for some time.
Kimi Raikkonen was their last champion – pipping Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to the title in 2007 – but the likes of Alonso, Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel have all tried and failed to break that streak.
Hamilton’s pedigree means that he has as good a chance as anyone of doing that, although his new teammate Charles Leclerc will fancy his chances too if the car is quick enough.
Ferrari’s changes to this year’s car haven’t helped Leclerc but given how long the season is, he’s got plenty of time to adapt to the SF-25.
Hamilton may be slightly underprepared for this season given how new he is to Ferrari, but the team are already benefitting from his arrival.
A report from the Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport has shared more details about the financial implications of Hamilton’s move to the Scuderia.
Ferrari expect to earn £83.6m in sponsorship and merchandising after Lewis Hamilton’s arrival
Hamilton has signed a two-year deal with Ferrari with the option to extend into 2027 worth a reported £39m-a-year.
However, Ferrari’s share price immediately rose when the announcement was made that they had signed Hamilton in February last year and it’s understood that sponsors have been willing to pay more in order to be associated with the 40-year-old.
HP paid a reported £66.9m-£75.2m-a-year deal last year and now feature prominently on Hamilton and Leclerc’s car.
Giovanni Palazzi is president of sponsorship experts StageUp and he said: “The team’s title has a very important value but Hamilton certainly had a hand in it.
“I believe that Ferrari’s choice to formalise his engagement as early as February 2024 was also made to strengthen the team’s reputation and, therefore, its negotiating power in commercial negotiations”
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It’s expected that the beneficial impact of Hamilton joining Ferrari will be worth around £41.8m in sponsorship deals and roughly the same figure when it comes to merchandising and licensing.
No other driver on the grid has the same level of notoriety, with Leclerc the next most-followed driver on social media and Max Verstappen incredibly popular after winning four consecutive championships, but not having equal pulling power to Hamilton.
How does Lewis Hamilton’s commercial value to Ferrari compare to F1’s prize money?
Ferrari will be more than happy to pay Hamilton’s wages if they believe he’ll more than earn them back in other commercial opportunities.
Hamilton’s viral Instagram post earned Ferrari a significant sum when he announced his arrival at the team’s factory in Maranello.
Not only that but the better he and Leclerc perform this season, the more prize money they’ll earn from the FIA.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory
Last season, Ferrari received £99m in prize money by finishing second in the constructors’ championship to McLaren.
Given that the profile of Formula 1 is only increasing worldwide, it’s hard to imagine that figure shrinking if Ferrari record another top-two finish in the standings.
However, Hamilton and team principal Frederic Vasseur will be desperate to go one better this year and end the team’s long wait for a championship.
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