Forbes magazine have released the list of top earning sportsmen which puts Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton tenth on a the list which is topped by Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to the report, triple Formula 1 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton will bank $46-million in 2017 of which $38-million is his salary and bonuses from Mercedes, with an extra $8-million from personal endorsements.
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel is 14th on the list, with $38.5-million due his way, with the Maranello team footing $38-million of his salary cheque. The German only has half a million dollars in personal endorsements.
Fernando Alonso, who has yet to score a point this season with McLaren, is 20th on the list and will pocket $36-million, of which the bulk is from his team’s coffers while $2-million will come in from personal deals.
The trio of Formula 1 stars rank well ahead of the next highest paid racing driver, which is Nascar star Jimmie Johnson who is 93rd on the list. He will bank $21.8-million, less than half what Hamilton will earn.
Fellow Nascar driver Dale Earnhardt Junior rounds out the top 100 earners with $21.4-million heading his way.
The list of 2017 top earning sportsmen is topped by Portuguese footballer Ronaldo who will earn a whopping $93-million this year.
| Rank | Name | Pay | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements | Sport |
| #1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | $93-million | $58-million | $35-million | Soccer |
| #2 | LeBron James | $86.2-million | $31.2-million | $55-million | Basketball |
| #3 | Lionel Messi | $80-million | $53-million | $27-million | Soccer |
| #4 | Roger Federer | $64-million | $6-million | $58-million | Tennis |
| #5 | Kevin Durant | $60.6-million | $26.6-million | $34-million | Basketball |
| #6 | Andrew Luck | $50-million | $47-million | $3-million | Football |
| #6 | Rory McIlroy | $50-million | $16-million | $34-million | Golf |
| #8 | Stephen Curry | $47.3-million | $12.3-million | $35-million | Basketball |
| #9 | James Harden | $46.6-million | $26.6-million | $20-million | Basketball |
| #10 | Lewis Hamilton | $46-million | $38-million | $8-million | Motor Racing |
| #14 | Sebastian Vettel | $38.5-million | $38-million | $500,000 | Motor Racing |
| #20 | Fernando Alonso | $36-million | $34-million | $2-million | Motor Racing |
| #93 | Jimmie Johnson | $21.8-million | $16.8-million | $5-million | Motor Racing |
| #100 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | $21.4-million | $13.4-million | $8-million | Motor Racing |
Source: Forbes magazine