Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton named Britain's richest sportsman

The Mercedes driver is ahead of the race with a fortune of £68m, and Wayne Rooney is revealed as the wealthiest football player

Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton has been named Britain’s wealthiest sportsman with a fortune of £68m.

The comprehensive survey of wealth in Britain and Ireland was calculated by The Sunday Times.

It reveals that Mr Hamilton added a staggering £8m to his fortune in the past year alone.

The 2008 world champion is ahead of former McLaren teammate Jenson Button, who is said to be worth £63m according to the rich list.

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray added £8m to his fortune following his triumphant victory last summer, bringing his worth up to £40m.

And Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney was named the richest footballer with a princely sum of £60m to his name.

He is third in the list ahead of Steve Nash (£56m), Rio Ferdinand (£44m) and Andy Murray.

The list was created by looking at identifiable wealth such as land, property, shares in publicly quoted companies and other assets such as art and racehorses. But it excludes bank accounts because the paper has no access to them.

The full list is set to be revealed next month.

Britain's richest sportsmen – top 10:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Motor racing): £68m

2. Jenson Button (Motor racing): £63m

3. Wayne Rooney (Football): £60m

4. Steve Nash (Basketball): £56m

5. Rio Ferdinand (Football): £44m

6. Andy Murray (Tennis): £40m

7. Steven Gerrard (Football): £37m

= Frank Lampard (Football): £37m

9. Luol Deng (Basketball): £36m

= Ryan Giggs (Football): £36m

Source: The Sunday Times Rich List 2014