Lewis Hamilton dominates social media, but millions of his followers appear to be fake. Lewis Hamilton is the most followed Formula 1 driver on social media.

Lewis Hamilton dominates the world of social media. With more than 41 million followers on Instagram, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion is the most followed driver on the grid. But behind this digital empire lies a surprising figure: almost one-third of his online fans may not be real.

Staggering earnings and fake followers — and Hamilton is not the only one

According to an analysis by Fanatix, 28% of Lewis Hamilton’s followers are fake accounts. Despite this, the British star continues to generate remarkable revenue: every sponsored post brings him around £100,302, of which £27,924 come directly from bot accounts. To put this into perspective, an average worker would need 14 months to earn what Lewis Hamilton makes from fake followers alone with a single post.

Leclerc, Verstappen and Sainz follow the British driver

Right behind Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc confirms himself as the second-highest earner in terms of digital income. With 15.93% fake followers, the Monegasque driver earns more than £8,000 per post thanks to his 3.37 million bot accounts. Max Verstappen, the highest-paid driver in Formula 1 with a £52 million contract, adds £7,502 per post from his fake followers, while Carlos Sainz completes the top four with £6,416 per post, a figure linked to the 22% of fake accounts among his 12.1 million followers.