Lewis Hamilton with his younger brother Nicolas
IN PHOTO: McLaren Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain (R) and his brother Nicolas arrive at the paddock before a practice session of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo, outside Barcelona May 20, 2011. REUTERS/Albert Gea REUTERS/Albert Gea

Lewis Hamilton recently signed a contract, making him one of the highest-paid athletes in history. Yahoo Sports reported that the 30-year-old signed to stay with Mercedes for three more years, the deal valued at around $155 million,.

With the new contract, Hamilton will be earning about $52 million every year, which makes him one of the four highest-paid athletes alive. The richest athletes of the year are boxers Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, whose recent “Fight of the Century” earned them $209 million and $142 million respectively in one night. Lionel Messi is third with $56.3 million.

Before the re-signing with Mercedes, Hamilton earned $31 million annually. At present, he moved past Sebastian Vettel, who raked in $50 million. The Guardian showed in another article that Hamilton is the richest athlete in Britain with a net worth of $136 million.

The Guardian cited that the deal was signed six months after Hamilton won his second world title in Abu Dhabi in November 2014. He won his first world title with McLaren in 2008. Since he joined Mercedes in 2013, Hamilton has also won 15 grands prix wins.

The Guardian wrote that Hamilton was linked with Ferrari many times, considering how Kimi Raikkonen’s future with the Italian carmaker remains uncertain. However, many speculated that Hamilton will stay with Mercedes when his season expires. His new contract means that he will be 34 years old by the time he can move away from Mercedes if he wishes to.

Hamilton said about the new deal, “Mercedes is my home and I couldn’t be happier to be staying here for another three years,” Hamilton said. This is a company filled with real passionate racers, from the boardroom to the factory floor, and an incredible hunger to win. He added, “Even after the success of last year, that hunger is greater than ever – and it’s the same for me, too.”

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