SportsPro editor-in-chief David Cushnan commented: “Several of the final top
ten were considered but Hamilton scored highly in every area and certainly
deserves to top the list.
“He is already a well-established global sports star, of course, but the next
three years will be pivotal in determining whether he can make good on his
obvious talent and add to his 2008 world title. A dominant car and his
brilliant run of form so far this year only underlined our view that he is a
man that brands should continue paying attention to: he will deliver the
goods for them.”
Hamilton, however, will have more pressing concerns than his marketing value
at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. It is a race he won in 2008 and has
coveted ever since. Given his admiration of Ayrton Senna, who died 20 years
ago this May, it will have particular poignancy.
The Briton also claimed after victory in Barcelona – his fourth in a row –
that he lacked the ultimate pace of his teammate Nico Rosberg.
“So many great names become legends around this circuit,” Hamilton said. “It’s
an honour to fight for your place amongst them and a real test of your
skills behind the wheel. The last few races have been just incredible. I
honestly never expected I’d win four consecutive grands prix in my career
and I’d love to continue that run here.
“I’ve had some work to do in terms of getting the car exactly as I want it
after the weekend in Spain: it was so close between our cars at the end and
I need to keep pushing to find any extra edge I can.”
The world’s 50 most marketable athletes 2014 – the top ten
1) Lewis Hamilton – motorsport, Great Britain
2) Virat Kohli – cricket, India
3) Robert Griffin III – NFL, USA
4) Cristiano Ronaldo – football, Portugal
5) Grigor Dimitrov – tennis, Bulgaria
6) Usain Bolt – athletics, Jamaica
7) Neymar – football, Brazil
8) Missy Franklin – swimming, USA
9) Blake Griffin – NBA, USA
10) Sloane Stephens – tennis, USA