Highest-Paid F1 Drivers: Verstappen Leads the Grid

Max Verstappen is the highest-paid driver in Formula 1, on a reported base salary of around $65 million a year with Red Bull. That is his retainer before bonuses, and no other driver on the current grid is thought to earn as much from a salary alone. Lewis Hamilton is the closest, on a reported $50 million-plus at Ferrari.

The catch with F1 pay is that the base salary is only part of the story. Drivers are not handed prize money the way a golfer or a tennis player is. Prize money goes to the teams, and each team pays its drivers a contracted retainer plus performance bonuses. Add personal sponsorship on top and a star’s total income runs well above the number that usually gets quoted. All figures below are reported estimates from the mid-2020s and shift with every new contract.

Highest-paid F1 drivers by reported base salary

The table ranks current drivers by reported annual base salary, before win, podium and championship bonuses, and before any personal endorsements.

Rank	Driver	Team	Reported base salary (approx.)
1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	~$65 million
2	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	~$50 million+
3	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	~$30–35 million
4	Lando Norris	McLaren	~$20 million+
5	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	~$20 million
6	George Russell	Mercedes	~$12–15 million
7	Carlos Sainz	Williams	~$10–12 million

Read these as brackets, not exact payslips. Teams do not publish driver contracts, so the numbers come from reporting by outlets such as Forbes and are best treated as informed estimates. The order at the top is stable; the midfield figures are the ones most likely to be off by a few million either way.

Why Verstappen sits clear at the top

Verstappen’s deal, signed with Red Bull and running to 2028, made him the best-paid driver on the grid by a clear margin. Three straight drivers’ titles from 2021 to 2023, and a fourth in 2024, gave him the leverage that only a repeat champion has in contract talks.

His bonuses matter as much as the base. Red Bull’s structure has been reported to pay Verstappen for wins and for the championship, which in a dominant season can push his total earnings from the team toward $70 million or more. That is why you will see his pay quoted as both “about $65 million” and “up to $70 million-plus” depending on whether bonuses are counted.

Hamilton, Ferrari and the value of a name

Lewis Hamilton remains the sport’s most bankable name, and his 2025 move to Ferrari reset his contract at a reported $50 million-plus base. Even in seasons when he is not fighting for the title, Hamilton commands top-tier pay because of what he brings off the track: seven world championships, a global profile and sponsorship pull few athletes in any sport can match.

That is the difference between salary and total income. On base pay Hamilton sits second; on overall earnings, once his personal endorsements are added, he has often been reported as the highest-earning driver of all. It is a useful reminder that “highest-paid” depends on whether you mean the team retainer or everything a driver banks in a year.

The next generation: Leclerc, Norris and Alonso

Below the top two, a group of drivers earn in the $20–35 million range. Charles Leclerc signed a long-term Ferrari extension that put him on a reported $30–35 million base, the highest of the younger drivers. Lando Norris did the same at McLaren, locking in a deal reported above $20 million as the team returned to winning form.

Fernando Alonso is the outlier: at the veteran end of his career, the two-time champion still commands a reported $20 million at Aston Martin, proof that experience and racecraft keep their price. For a broader look at how pay works across NASCAR, IndyCar and F1 together, see our guide to the highest-paid race car drivers, which sets these F1 numbers against other series.

Salary is not the same as greatness

The pay order and the all-time greatness order are not the same list. Verstappen leads the current wage bill, but the sport’s record books are still headed by drivers on very different contracts in their era. If you want the on-track version of this ranking, our tables for most F1 championships and the greatest Formula 1 drivers show who the paychecks are really chasing.

The short version: Max Verstappen is F1’s highest-paid driver on a reported base near $65 million, ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s $50 million-plus, with Leclerc, Norris and Alonso leading the chase. Treat every figure as a reported estimate that moves with the next contract.