How much do pilots earn? We will tell you (almost) everything!

The information is not surprising: the best Formula 1 drivers are among the highest-paid athletes today, with Hamilton, first, and Verstappen, second, positioning themselves among the highest-earning sportsmen. In this case, in addition to the salaries paid by the teams, the prizes associated with individual and collective results are usually added, with podiums and victories in grand prix races and rankings in the championships also worth financial bonuses.

Recently, Forbes, a publication specializing in finance and business, announced the numbers from last year, which were not contradicted by any source, and attribute the first position on the list to the three-time world champion Max Verstappen, with earnings in the order of 70 million dollars (63.9 million euros, plus or minus euros), with prizes of 25 million dollars added to the 45 million dollars he has as a “base salary”. Last year, the Dutchman, it is recalled, won 19 grand prix races; was on 21 podiums in 22 races; and led 1003 laps (out of a total of 1325, becoming the first driver to lead more than a thousand laps in the same season), and finished the year with a record number of points (575), 290 more than Sergio Pérez, teammate and second place in the championship!

Comparatively, Lewis Hamilton is even better paid than Verstappen. From salary alone, Mercedes pays him around 55 million dollars annually! However, in 2023, and for the second consecutive season, this “Sir”, already with seven titles (and 103 victories) in his career, finished the year without wins or bonuses… In contrast, only in performance bonuses, Fernando Alonso earned 10 million dollars, an amount he added to the 24 million he earns at Aston Martin. The Spanish champion in 2005 and 2006 is currently the oldest in the “pack”, at 42 years old.

The salaries paid to the drivers, it is worth remembering, do not enter the budget cap imposed by the Formula 1 rules, which also do not consider the three elements of each team that receive the most money annually, which relieves the pressure on the teams before and during the seasons. The youngest ones, not surprisingly, earn less, and the drivers who have sponsors also earn less, but have supplements in their salaries paid by third parties. The example of Yuki Tsunoda is paradigmatic: he is starting his fourth year in the category and remains at the bottom of the table, but has a relationship with Honda that also benefits him financially.