Lewis Hamilton isn’t a fan of Formula 1’s proposed salary cap because the drivers are “the stars” of the sport.
As F1 continues to look at ways to reduce costs, a limit of $30m per year has reportedly been put forward and could be introduced as soon as 2023.
That amount is less than half of the seven-time world champion’s current pay and also less than what both Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo are reported to have earned in figures released last week.
Asked about the proposal last weekend in Bahrain, however, Hamilton noted that while other sports have introduced similar caps, the individual earning potential of their top players is much different to F1.
“I do think that the drivers here are, naturally, the stars of the sport,” said the Mercedes driver.
“They’re the ones that are seen, those are the ones that bring their brands and their reputation helps elevate the sport and help it travel globally around the world.
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“There have been salary caps in some of those [other] sports, I think like in NFL, basketball maybe. I think the one difference is that those places the individuals own their image in many areas, then they can try to maximise their image elsewhere.
“This sport controls, pretty much, the driver’s image.”
The thought of capping drivers salary was put into some context last Sunday when Romain Grosjean’s horrific crash acted as a reminder of the risks those behind the wheel still face.
And Hamilton believes limiting the earning potential of drivers, particularly the biggest names, would be a backwards step.
“I do think about the next up-and-coming young stars that are coming through and I don’t particularly see why they shouldn’t be handicapped if they’re bringing something huge to the sport,” he said.
“It is a multi-billion dollar sport and they should be rewarded for what they do bring to it.”
The issue of salary has often been touted as a potential hurdle for Hamilton’s new contract at Mercedes, which it yet to be agreed for 2021 and beyond.
But asked if the cap could affect his future in F1, the Briton wasn’t too concerned.
“I think currently the salary cap is supposed to be implemented probably when I’m not even here,” he replied.
