Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton to be named best-paid driver on F1 grid
Max Verstappen is the highest paid driver on the grid according to a new survey.
Max Verstappen is the best-paid driver on the grid, according to a new survey by business magazine Forbes.
While contract details tend to be kept private, that has not stopped the finance-focused magazine from estimating what the drivers are earning, from base salary to bonuses.
Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton as top paid F1 driver
Unsurprisingly, Verstappen is number one, netting $76m in the 2025 season. Of that, $65m comes from his base salary with $11m being added through bonuses.
The Dutchman signed a mega-contract back in 2022, keeping him at Red Bull until 2028, although it was initially reported as a $55m a year deal. Forbes suggests that it is now $65m, although it is worth reiterating that only Red Bull and Verstappen’s party will know the actual amount.
The good news for Verstappen is, as a Monaco resident, he gets to keep all of that given the Principality’s 0% income tax.
Second on the list is Lewis Hamilton who reportedly earns $70.5m from Ferrari. Of that, $70m is base salary (more than Verstappen) but Hamilton earned just $0.5m.
If we calculate that compared to how many points he scored, Ferrari paid $451,923 per point. In comparison, Verstappen cost Red Bull $180,522 per point.
Newly crowned World Champion Lando Norris is the third-best-paid driver on the grid, earning $57.5m over the course of 2025.
In comparison to the top two, Norris’ base salary is relatively low at $18m but Forbes believes he earned an additional $39.5m in bonuses which will certainly make his title celebrations feel a little sweeter.
Norris signed his current deal in 2024 although may now be knocking on Zak Brown’s door for a pay rise.
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Following Norris is his team-mate Oscar Piastri who earned a reported $37.5m. Like Norris, the bulk of Piastri’s pay came from bonuses with his salary being $10m, topped up by £27.5m due to his performance.
In at number five is Charles Leclerc whose place on the list was based entirely on his salary rather than bonuses.
Forbes believes the Ferrari driver was paid $30m in 2025.
Fernando Alonso is the sixth best-paid driver on the grid with a salary of $24m plus $2.5m in bonuses while George Russell earned $15m in salary and $11m in bonuses. Russell did however sign a new deal midway through the year which will likely have included a pay rise.
Forbes believes Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin contract is the eighth most lucrative on the grid at a salary of $12m and bonuses of $1.5m.
Carlos Sainz is in ninth on $10m plus $3m in bonuses while Kimi Antonelli rounds out the top 10 with $5m of salary and $7.5m in bonuses.
The list in full:
1. Max Verstappen – $76m ($65m salary + $11m bonuses)
2. Lewis Hamilton – $70.5m ($70m + $0.5m bonuses)
3. Lando Norris – $57.5m ($18m salary + $39.5m bonuses)
4. Oscar Piastri – $37.5m ($10m salary + $27.5m bonuses)
5. Charles Leclerc – $30m ($30m salary + $0m bonuses)
6. Fernando Alonso – $26.5m ($24m salary + $2.5m bonuses)
7. George Russell – $26m ($15m salary + $11m bonuses)
8. Lance Stroll – $13.5m ($12m salary + $1.5m bonuses)
9. Carlos Sainz – $13m ($10m salary + $3m bonuses)
10. Kimi Antonelli – $12.5m ($5m salary + $7.5m bonuses)
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