Lewis Hamilton was bullied for being Black. Today, he’s an F1 champion whose net worth will stun you

Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the biggest celebrities in Formula One in contemporary times. The British racing driver has won seven world championships and he looks set to achieve more laurels.

He first debuted in 2007 with McLaren. The following year, he declared his intention to the world after winning his first World Championship. Hamilton moved to Mercedes in 2013 and changed the fortunes of the team. Since 2014, he has dominated Formula One, losing only the 2016 season championship to his teammate at the time, Nico Rosberg.

His success on the field means that he is also one of the top athletes who earn big worldwide. In 2018, he signed a two-year contract with Mercedes worth $100 million, giving him a base salary of $30 million annually and bonuses which will see his total comp from Mercedes push to $50 million.

Also, he ranked 13 on Forbes world’s highest-paid athlete in 2020 with an annual salary of $42 million. Celebrity Net Worth puts his net worth at $285 million.

His popularity also makes him attractive to global brands. In 2018, he went into a collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger to promote its line of menswear, underwear, and swimwear. He also has endorsement deals from Monster Energy, Puma, IWC, Sony, Bose, Bell Helmets, MV Agusta Motorcycles, and recently added telecom Vodafone to his endorsement portfolio. According to Forbes, his endorsement deals amount to $12 million.

Hamilton, like many celebrities, loves to spend on luxurious estates. In 2017, he bought a New York penthouse for $43.9 million. He, however, listed the property for $57 million. He also owns a four-story mansion with six bedrooms in Kensington, West London that was built in 1860 and is worth $25 million.

The Mercedes driver also owns apartments in Nyon, a suburb of Geneva, Switzerland, and in Monaco, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Hamilton was born on January 7, 1985, in England (Stevenage, Hertfordshire) to a Caucasian mother and a Black father, Anthony. His parents divorced when he was only two years. He lived with his mom until he was 12. He then went to stay with his father.

Hamilton, who identifies himself as Black, attended Catholic secondary school The John Henry Newman School in Hertfordshire. From there, he studied at Cambridge Arts and Sciences. He once said in an interview that he was bullied while in school but that made him tougher. “I had a lot of racism growing up where I grew up,” Hamilton told Complex magazine. “Bullied at school. It definitely encouraged me. It’s like battle wounds – you come out the other side and it just makes you tougher.”

The 36-year-old’s career in car racing began when he signed up with the McLaren young driver program and subsequently became an official Formula One McLaren driver in 2007. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he is the first and only Black racecar driver in the sport.

Hamilton is not married but is reported to have dated a long-time friend, Rihanna, after breaking up with his girlfriend, Nicole Scherzinger. Other women he is said to have dated include Rita Ora, Miss Finland Lotta Hinsa, Miss Grenada 2007 Vivian Burkhardt, model Winnie Harlow, Hungarian model Barbara Palvin, Sofia Richie and Nicki Minaj.