Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton among highest paid athletes of the decade
By Asher Fair
Six-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton ranked toward the top of the list of the highest paid athletes of the decade, according to Forbes.
The 2010s decade is now officially in the books, and shortly before it ended, Forbes released a list of the highest paid athletes of the decade, compiling the top 10 from #10 through #1. Among these athletes is six-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton was one of only three drivers to win an Formula 1 world championship at some point this decade, and he was one of only two drivers to win more than one title.
He opened up the decade as a one-time champion having won the 2008 title in his second season in the sport driving for McLaren, and it took him until 2014 to finally get back to the top spot, as the first four seasons of the decade were dominated by Sebastian Vettel.
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The 34-year-old Briton made the switch to Mercedes in 2013. After arguably the worst season of his career that year, the move began to pay off when the V6 turbo hybrid era got underway the following year.
Since then, Hamilton has won five world titles and finished runner-up following a close battle with teammate Nico Rosberg in 2016. He hasn’t won fewer than nine races in a season over the last six seasons, and he is poised to tie and/or break several significant records in 2020 after having done so quite frequently over the last few years.
He is the championship favorite for 2020, and a fourth consecutive title would be his seventh all-time, tying him with Michael Schumacher for the record.
It stands to reason why he is one of the highest paid athletes of the decade. But where does he rank?
Hamilton barely made the rankings, coming in at #10. His total was listed at $400 million.
Who were the nine athletes he finished behind?
NBA players LeBron James and Kevin Durant ranked at #4 and #9 with $680 million and $425 million, respectively. Boxer Manny Pacquiao finished right ahead of Durant at #8 with $435 million. Ahead of him were golfers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson at #6 and #7 with $615 million and $480 million, respectively.
Tennis player Roger Federer came in at #5 with $640 million while soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both placed top three at #2 and #3 with $800 million and $750 million, respectively. Finally, it was boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. who topped the list at $915 million.
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What does the 2020s decade hold in store for the highest paid athletes in the world? Which athletes will be on the list, and how much money will they make? Will anybody top $1 billion?