Verstappen and Hamilton in top-50 highest-paid athletes in 2022

In Forbes' annual top 50 most-earning athletes in 2022 are two Formula 1 drivers. It should come as no surprise that these are Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Hamilton nestled in at 17th spot, while Verstappen has to make do with 26th. Footballer Lionel Messi earned the most, around $130 million.

US business magazine Forbes has looked at athletes' salaries from May 2021 to May 2022. This includes salary and bonuses as well as any sponsorship deals struck. Hamilton amassed around $65 million during this period, Verstappen comes out at around $48 million.

So it is important to note here that Verstappen's contract extension (and salary upgrade) took place in March. So Verstappen will be a lot higher in the rankings next year because of his salary increase. Hamilton signed a contract extension with Mercedes for the period from 1 January 2022 and is believed to be earning just a little less. Last year, Hamilton was eighth in this Forbes list.

Forbes also knows that Verstappen will earn more than Hamilton after signing a new commitment. It is therefore possible that Verstappen will be ahead of Hamilton in the list next year, although it is possible that Hamilton's sponsorship deals will bring in more money than our compatriot's.

Best-paid athletes of 2022

1. Lionel Messi [Football] – $130m
2. LeBron James [Basketball] – $121.2m
3. Cristiano Ronaldo [Football] – $115m
4. Neymar [Football] – $95m
5. Stephen Curry [Basketball] – $92.8m
6. Kevin Durant [Basketball] – $92.1m
7. Roger Federer [Tennis] – $90.7m
8. Canelo Alvarez [Boxing] – $90m
9. Tom Brady [NFL] – $83.9m
10. Giannis Antetokounmpo [Basketball] – $80.9m
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17. Lewis Hamilton (Formula 1) - $65m
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26. Max Verstappen (Formula 1) - $48m