The cash in System 1 feels unreal. Nonetheless, it isn’t nearly who wins on Sunday. It’s also about who can transfer an viewers on Monday. So, when individuals seek for F1 driver earnings, they normally need one factor: a transparent rating that is sensible.
That’s difficult, although. Driver pay just isn’t totally public. Additionally, groups and drivers use totally different deal buildings. Even so, a number of revered shops publish annual estimates. So, this information ranks F1 driver earnings utilizing extensively reported figures for 2025, then explains why the gaps are so massive.
In order for you a fast takeaway, it’s this. The highest of the grid earns celebrity cash. In the meantime, the underside of the grid can look nearer to a typical elite-sport wage, particularly for rookies.
F1 driver earnings ranked for 2025
This rating focuses on estimated on-track pay, that means wage plus efficiency bonuses when reported collectively. In different phrases, it goals at what the group pays the motive force, not the complete off-track model empire.
High 10 estimated earners (wage + bonuses)
- Max Verstappen
Estimated complete: about $76m (reported as $65m wage + $11m bonuses) - Lewis Hamilton
Estimated complete: about $70.5m (reported as $70m wage + $0.5m bonuses) - Lando Norris
Estimated complete: about €48.9m (Forbes-based estimates reported in European press) - Oscar Piastri
Estimated complete: about €31.9m - Charles Leclerc
Estimated complete: about €25.5m (reported with little or no bonus in that very same set of estimates) - Fernando Alonso
Estimated complete: about €22.6m - George Russell
Estimated complete: about €22.1m - Lance Stroll
Estimated complete: about €11.5m - Carlos Sainz
Estimated complete: about €11.1m - Kimi Antonelli
Estimated complete: about €10.6m
Necessary be aware on forex: totally different experiences publish figures in different currencies and codecs. So, deal with these as directional, not precise. What issues most is the order and the huge gaps between tiers.
The second rating followers ask for: Base wage solely
Some readers choose a clear “contract wage” view. That may aid you examine drivers with out bonus noise. Additionally, it reveals how a lot leverage a driver has earlier than outcomes even occur.
2025 Base wage snapshot (reported estimates)
RacingNews365 revealed a extensively cited desk of base salaries for 2025. Autoweek additionally summarised the identical model of estimates and said that it’s wage solely, not endorsements.
High base salaries (reported)
Max Verstappen: about $65m
Lewis Hamilton: about $60m
Charles Leclerc: about $34m
Fernando Alonso: about $20m
Lando Norris: about $20m
Then it drops rapidly into the mid-pack, earlier than falling once more for rookies and new contracts.
Why F1 driver earnings look “bizarre” in comparison with different sports activities
F1 just isn’t a standard group sport. So, pay doesn’t monitor wins straight. As an alternative, earnings comply with leverage.
The automotive issues, so the model issues
In soccer, one participant can change a match. In F1, the automotive can change the season. That pushes groups to pay for drivers who cut back threat, construct a model, and ship constant factors.
So, a prime driver may be value greater than their lap time. They will deliver sponsor confidence, world consideration, and stability when the strain hits.
Bonuses can explode earnings in a title combat
Base wage is regular. Bonuses should not.
So, if a driver hits massive targets, the bonus stack may be big. Additionally, when a title battle goes to the wire, the business worth climbs quick. That’s the reason the “complete earnings” record can look totally different from the “wage” record.
The three pay tiers on the grid
To make F1 driver earnings simpler to grasp, break up the paddock into three tiers. Then, examine like with like.
Tier 1: World superstars
This tier is small. Additionally, it’s costly.
These drivers both ship championships, carry the game’s mainstream consideration, or do each. That’s the reason Verstappen and Hamilton sit on the prime of most earnings lists.
Tier 2: Entrance-running anchors and confirmed leaders
This tier consists of drivers who can win races in the best automotive and who can lead growth.
They usually earn sturdy base pay, and so they can add bonuses when the group is aggressive. In the meantime, they nonetheless supply sponsor worth, even when they aren’t the face of the whole sport.
Tier 3: Midfield, rookies, and rebuild initiatives
This tier is the place pay spreads out essentially the most.
Some drivers are on low rookie offers. Others are skilled and regular, however the group just isn’t paying “title cash.” Additionally, contract timing issues. A driver on an older deal might look underpaid in comparison with a rival who simply signed after a breakout 12 months.
The place endorsements match into F1 driver earnings
Individuals usually imply two various things by “earnings.”
They could imply group pay, which is wage and bonuses. Or, they could imply complete earnings, together with sponsorship offers. These should not the identical.
F1 driver earnings: Why off-track cash is difficult to rank
Endorsement contracts fluctuate by nation, sponsor class, and even private model technique. Additionally, some offers embrace fairness, appearances, or long-term clauses.
That’s the reason many annual lists concentrate on wage and bonuses first, then point out endorsements as additional context.
F1 driver earnings – value cap actuality verify: Salaries sit outdoors the restrict
Many followers assume the fee cap will crush driver wages. Nonetheless, driver pay just isn’t handled the identical manner as most group spending.
One explainer notes that driver salaries are among the many exceptions to the F1 value cap, which is one motive groups can nonetheless pay celebrity cash on the prime.
So, the cap can squeeze employees’s F1 group budgets and growth decisions. But, it doesn’t mechanically squeeze the highest driver contract in the identical manner.
What modifications F1 driver earnings quickest
If you happen to monitor F1 driver earnings 12 months to 12 months, three triggers normally transfer the numbers.
A championship run
Titles elevate your ground. Additionally, they elevate your bonus ceiling.
So, when a driver turns into an everyday title menace, the following contract tends to look very totally different from the final one.
A giant-team swap
A transfer to a glamour group can change media worth in a single day. It might additionally unlock new sponsor classes. That’s the reason high-profile strikes usually include headline wage figures in public estimates.
Timing and leverage
Contract timing is underrated.
If a driver indicators early, they might go away cash on the desk. In the event that they signal after a breakout 12 months, they normally achieve leverage. In the meantime, groups additionally shield themselves with choices and efficiency clauses, which may shift earnings with out altering the “headline wage.”
Closing thought: The rating is straightforward, however the story just isn’t
F1 driver earnings will all the time spark debate. That’s as a result of the offers are personal, and the variables are messy.
Even so, the sample is evident. The very prime drivers earn celebrity totals by means of wage and bonuses. Then the grid splits into tiers quick. In the meantime, endorsements can reshape the “true” earnings image, particularly for the largest names.
👉 Associated: F1 Corridor of Champions: Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina
