DESPITE failing to win a single race so far this season – and just five last year – Ferrari still dominate the Formula One rich list.
According to Forbes, who have released their breakdown of the most valuable teams in the sport, it is the Italian manufacturer that takes top spot once more.
Reportedly worth a staggering $6.5billion (nearly £5bn), Ferrari are well clear of Mercedes (£4.5billion) in second and have history on their side.
In 2023, Ferrari also topped the rankings but they are no closer to a first constructors title since 2008.
They remain the most successful constructor in F1 history with 16 championships but have fallen behind their rivals for almost two decades.
McLaren have taken the last two titles with Red Bull and Mercedes winning in each of the previous 14 years.
German giants Mercedes had a spell of Ferrari-like mid-2000s dominance when they won eight in a row between 2014 and 2021, spearheaded by Lewis Hamilton.
Ferrari now have the British racing icon but he is yet to win a race or finish on the podium since making the switch.
That is not enough for Mercedes to catch up, Forbes say, with Hamilton helping to bring in 31 per cent more social media engagement for Ferrari than any other team.
It is added that analytics company Blinkfire calculate this to bring in 44 per cent sponsorship revenue than the next best as well.
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Mercedes are in at second on the list with an operating profit of £154million and revenue of over £600million.
Ferrari have half as much operating profit and almost £100million less in revenue in these findings but have the weight of past success behind them as a truly global powerhouse.
McLaren are next up with an estimated value of £3.36billion, operating profit of around £45million, and overall revenue at £470million.
Red Bull round off the big four narrowly behind McLaren at £3.36billion but considerably further back on £20million of operating profit with an almost equal revenue.
McLaren have overtaken Red Bull into third since the 2023 findings and all of them have risen dramatically in the two years as well.
Red Bull have almost doubled in value whilst Mercedes and McLaren are worth substantially more now too.
Ferrari still sit atop the throne even if they haven’t had the sporting success to go with it.
The general trend for F1 is also up with second-placed Mercedes above eight NFL franchises, 24 NBA sides, 28 MLB teams, and all 32 in the NHL.
Only Manchester United and Real Madrid are higher from the European football market.
This comes after Toto Wolff‘s move to sell a minority stake to CrowdStrike cofounder George Kurtz.
The price dictates just how lucrative F1 is with all 10 constructors over the $1.5billion (£1.15bn) mark.
The average valuation is up 89 per cent to $3.6billion (£2.75bn)and the revenue reflects the same story.
Mercedes’ figures have them as the 10th best sports team on the planet.
Hamilton and Co still come up at the summit here but have a way to go if they are to turn that into a long-awaited title.
