Eddie Irvine Tops 2011 F1 Rich List in the UK

One can argue that former Formula 1 driver Eddie Irvine wasn't one of the most successful racers of his generation, despite battling for the world title on a single occasion – when Michael Schumacher injured himself midway through the 1999 campaign – but according to a recent report issued by The Sunday Times, he is all alone on top of UK's sporting rich list.

After driving for Ferrari between the 1996 and 1999 seasons, Irvine moved to Jaguar, where he would end his racing career some 3 years later. Having already made millions in property investment before entering the Great Circus, the Ulsterman continued his business after ending his F1 career and was listed as the 5th richest person in Northern Ireland back in 2006.

Now, 5 years later, Irvine is believed to have reached a fortune of US $128 million in property development. In addition to owning properties around the world, he also runs the Eddie Irvine Sports facility near his hometown Conlig (in Bangor).

Second on that least is another former F1 driver, 1979 world champion Jody Scheckter, whose fortune is worth in excess of $96 million as a result of his organic farming business. Prodrive boss David Richards and David Coulthard are next in line, as the latter shares that position with 2008 F1 champion Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton's merit is that he equalled DC after only 4 years spend in Formula 1, not to mention the fact that he's even topping teammate and world champion Jenson Button, a veteran in the Great Circus. While Ham's fortune is estimated at around $80 million, Button's sits at $77 million. Finally, the last high-ranked name on that list is that of former F1 champion Nigel Mansell, who shares his position in the unofficial classification with Button.

In the meantime, F1 supremo has updated his fortune from £1,375 million in 2010 to £2,500 million in 2011, which means he's now 23 overall in the Top 1,000 British earners.