Hamilton richest British sports figure

Lewis Hamilton

Three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is the richest sportsman in the UK, according to the Sunday Times rich list to be published tomorrow.

The Mercedes driver comfortably heads the field with an estimated £131 million, or a more than £25 million increase over the past year.

Semi-retired McLaren driver, who will be back in the driving seat at Monaco at the end of the month, just missed a spot on the podium with a total estimated fortune of £ 86million.

Hamilton, who has been racing in Formula 1 since 2007, is a resident of Switzerland but insists he still makes a hefty contribution to his home country.

"What people don’t realize is that I pay tax here, but I don’t earn all my money here," Hamilton told the Sunday Times Style magazine.

"I race in 19 different countries, so I earn my money in 20 different places and I pay tax in several different places, and I pay a lot here as well.

"I am contributing to the country and, not only that, I help keep a team of more than 1,000 people employed. I am part of a much bigger picture."