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Video: Lewis And Nicole Celebrate Formula 1 Championship Together
The 23-year-old, who grew up in a Stevenage council estate, is on course to eclipse even David Beckham in the superstar stakes.
But Hamilton’s biggest achievement may be to open up F1 to drivers other than the white middle classes - becoming a Tiger Woods of motor racing.
Beckham earns in the region of £25m a year but can expect to be overtaken by Hamilton as swiftly as he took Toyota’s Timo Glock in the closing moments at Interlagos.
Henry Chappell, chief executive of sports PR agency Pitch, said: “What he’s achieved guarantees his bankability is of the highest order.
“Banks like RBS shouldn’t turn to the Government for a bail-out ... they should probably ask Lewis Hamilton.”
Four-time Grand Prix winner Eddie Irvine said: “His life isn’t going to change that much. He was already the most famous racing driver in the world.
“Being world champion is something off his back, he’ll have less pressure and be able to get stuck in and think about winning races and having fun without having that bogey man hanging over him.”
Hamilton’s image as a clean-cut family man - his half-brother Nic is his biggest fan - and the story of how he came to the world title in Brazil is a marketing man’s dream.
He began by racing remote control cars as a seven-year-old and showed such skill that his father Anthony guided him to driving carts.
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