The signing and debut of Lewis Hamilton, the most successful active driver with seven world championships (a record equalled by Michael Schumacher), for Ferrari (the most successful and iconic team) is a revolution in Formula 1. Everything changes when you see Hamilton dressed in red. He is a mass phenomenon, as he proved by attracting thousands of fans behind the fences at Fiorano and hopes are high. He can bring back the crown that has not been won since 2007 with Raikkonen. But it’s racing and if he fails, the Maranello team will also find good news: they are making a fortune.
Hamilton’s arrival is of enormous economic importance. The Briton receives a galactic salary, not for nothing did he give up being with Mercedes for life and turns everything he touches into gold. He doesn’t need to win, it’s enough with his publications wearing the red and the sponsors of the Scuderia. The impact is total.
Hamilton unleashes all kinds of images at a premium price. From the cleanest ones, in which he poses inside the ‘Ferrari World’ with the F40 and in Enzo Ferrari’s house, to those that are filled with brands on his suit or helmet and are of tremendous value to the firms that fill the red of the Italian team. A study by Sponsorlytix pointed out that with the simple image of Hamilton posed on a wall of the factory there were already immediate profits exceeding $400,000.
Specifically, they are worth $412,000, and are broken down, according to the platform, into what it would mean for each company. Among the biggest earners, HP reaches $62,100 for the photo, $52,100 goes to Shell and $50,000 is from Ferrari. And it reaches those with the least presence: IBM ($48,000), VGW ($45,300), Puma ($40,200), RM ($37,200) and UniCredit ($35,900).
The seven-time champion is undoubtedly a mass phenomenon. And his arrival at Ferrari takes things to another level. Also in the iconic part, something that is often repeated by those who know the Italian team perfectly. “He will be a myth forever if he wins,” said, for example, Frenchman Jean Alesi.