Hamilton strikes £10million deal with Reebok

Lewis Hamilton is once again counting the price of fame after striking a £10million deal with sportswear giants Reebok.

Hamilton's deal with Reebok, who are owned by German company Adidas, is a major coup for his father and manager, Anthony. He has been trying to wriggle his son free of the straitjacket traditionally imposed by McLaren in an attempt to limit their drivers' personal endorsements.

A team spokesman said: "Any marketing activity undertaken by Lewis on behalf of Reebok will be fully consistent with his existing obligations to McLaren, and will run in complete cooperation with Lewis's primary marketing commitments to the team and its partners."

Hamilton's exclusive Reebok stable includes football star Thierry Henry, basketball hero Allen Iverson as well as British boxing hope Amir Khan. Two of the racer's rap favourites, 50 Cent and Jay-Z, are also on the books.

The multi-year contract confirms Formula One's most marketable driver status as the 23-year-old who wants for nothing. As well as his £10m-plus McLaren salary, he has pocketed around £2m from HarperCollins for his autobiography, Lewis Hamilton: My Story.

And Bombardier Learjets have effectively written him a blank cheque for his promotional work, flying him gratis in their luxury planes, which cost minimally £5m to buy on the open market.

His road travel is hardly less luxurious, courtesy of Mercedes, whose ML63 AMG - retailing at £75,000 - is ideal for the rugged terrain around his Geneva tax haven.

Even his oil is thrown in by team sponsors Mobil. Then there's his all calls-paid mobile phone from Vodafone, Tag Heuer watches, Boss clothes, Hilton hotel suites and even bespoke jewellery from diamond company Steinmetz, who presented him with a glitzy ring at last year's Monaco Grand Prix.

They are now planning to turn the one-time Stevenage council estate boy into the King of Bling by naming him as a global ambassador in the build-up to Monte Carlo's showpiece next week. More gems await.

(Source: dailymail.co.uk)