How one social media post proved Hamilton’s financial worth to Ferrari

Damp weather and the foggy conditions did not prevent the tifosi turning out for a mere glimpse of Lewis Hamilton driving a Ferrari for the first time in his long and distinguished career.

He may not have been setting record times as he completed 30 laps around Fiorano on Wednesday but, having spent two days in Maranello beforehand, Hamilton’s running in the SF-23 was the sight Ferrari fans have wanted ever since his move from Mercedes was announced almost a year ago.

However, his true value to the Italian outfit cannot only be counted on the track but also very much away from it, too.

To be clear, Ferrari was perfectly capable of securing huge partnership deals and attracting sponsors, as well as selling plenty of merchandise, before Hamilton’s arrival – but he will shift the needle.

That became abundantly clear earlier in the week when a photograph of Hamilton alongside a Ferrari F40 supercar became the most-liked Formula 1 post in Instagram history.

On Tuesday, Hamilton then posted a picture of him dressed in a Ferrari race suit for the first time on his own social media channels and the analysis of that post – seen by over 11million X users by Thursday evening – by Sponsorlytix showed how those impressions impacted on the team’s sponsors.

The AI-powered sports big data analytics company works with the likes of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to measure sports sponsorship and sports data using real-time data tracking.

“Every logo placement on Lewis’s kit delivers incredible value, showcasing the synergy between athletes’ social media presence and team sponsors,” said Sponsorlytix CEO and founder Omar Al Raisi.

Using its AI and algorithms, Sponsorlytix measured the post when it reached the eight-million impression-mark and calculated brand values generated for Ferrari sponsors.

It discovered that the individual post was worth $62,100 to title sponsor HP as well as $50,000 for Ferrari itself, while the likes of Shell, IBM, VGW, Ceva and PUMA all came in over the $40,000 mark.

Those figures were generated from one post, just hours after it had been uploaded by Hamilton and before he has even started a grand prix for Ferrari.

So, while debates over how he will fare alongside new team-mate Charles Leclerc this season will rage on, the business-side of his arrival is already paying off.