RAIKONNEN EARNED MORE THAN ALONSO AND HAMILTON IN 2010

The latest ESPN Magazine has listed the highest-paid Formula One drivers of the moment. And the list includes two who aren’t even in that sport anymore. According to the list, Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso is the highest-paid sportsman in Spain, with takings of almost US$23 million (R152 million) in 2010. Lewis Hamilton isn’t far off as the UK’s highest-paid, with R122 million.

In Brazil the man with the top sports earnings crown is none other than Felipe Massa who pulled off R113 million last year. Surprisingly his former teammate Kimi Raikonnen was Finland’s biggest money earner in sports, with R174 million. We suspect this was thanks to an “out” clause in his contract. Remember Raikonnen left the F1 circus a year before his contract was up in order to make way for Alonso. There are obviously financial penalties for the team in such situations.

Sadly South Africa is still stuck in the 1990s, with Ernie Els again topping the best-paid list. He is said to have earned R35 million from the 2010 PGA Tour, excluding other earnings of course. Incidentally the highest-paid sportsmen of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland are PSL football players plying their trade in Mzansi.

PIC COURTESY OF GOTBROKEN.COM