F1’s Top-Earning Drivers By The Numbers

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton drives past a sign board during the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on October 8, 2017.

AFP PHOTO/POOL/KAZUHIRO NOGI/Getty Images

By Brett Knight

Beyond the big salaries of Formula 1’s highest-paid drivers are a host of numbers to know.

Formula 1’s ten highest-paid drivers are on pace to earn a combined $211 million on the track this year, with Lewis Hamilton leading the way with a projected total of $62 million in salary and bonuses before taxes. But there are many more numbers to know behind those two big totals. Here’s a breakdown.

The combined number of podium finishes this season by the ten Formula 1 drivers who do not appear on the highest-paid list. (AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly came in third at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June.) It’s no secret that F1 is a top-heavy sport, but the series’ smaller teams hope that a new budget cap, set at $145 million for 2021, will level the playing field.

AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly after his third-place finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June.

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The number of teams represented on the list of the ten highest-paid drivers. Alpine and Aston Martin each supply one; Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull Racing provide two. The series’ four other teams—Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri, Haas and Williams—don’t make the cut.

Lewis Hamilton’s number of drivers’ championships, tying him with Michael Schumacher for the all-time lead. Hamilton still has a chance to eclipse him with No. 8 this season, but he will have to overcome Max Verstappen, who has an 8-point lead on him in the standings after Hamilton’s win on Sunday at the British Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen’s number of podium finishes so far this season, putting him on pace for 18 this year. No driver has ever recorded more than 17 in a season—although Verstappen would benefit from competing in the longest F1 season ever, with 22 races confirmed and a 23rd hoped for. Verstappen also has five race wins this year.

Max Verstappen after he won the Austrian Grand Prix on July 4.

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The number of nationalities represented on the list of the ten highest-paid drivers. The United Kingdom and Spain supply two each; Australia, Finland, Germany, Mexico, Monaco and the Netherlands round out the list. Sergio Pérez (Mexico) and Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) are the only two non-Europeans to make the list.

The number of consecutive years Fernando Alonso spent on Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, from 2010 to 2018. In that time, Alonso never made less than $28 million (including endorsements). This season, after a two-year retirement from F1, he is back with Alpine and earning $25 million in salary, demonstrating the popular driver’s staying power.

The total number of drivers’ championships won by the members of the highest-paid list, with Lewis Hamilton contributing seven, Sebastian Vettel four and Fernando Alonso two. Max Verstappen—or Hamilton with a strong finish—could push that number to 14 this year. Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 champion, continues to race at age 41, for Alfa Romeo, but his salary was not enough to land him on the highest-paid list.

The age of Fernando Alonso, the oldest among F1’s highest-paid drivers. He won the first of his two drivers’ championships in 2005—when Lando Norris, the list’s youngest driver, was just 5 years old.

Fernando Alonso during previews ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June.

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Lewis Hamilton’s record number of race wins after Sunday’s triumph at Silverstone. He matched Michael Schumacher’s mark with his 91st win in October and claimed sole possession of first later that month. He’s added four wins in 2021.

The number of career race wins by the ten highest-paid drivers, with Sebastian Vettel (53), Fernando Alonso (32), Max Verstappen (15), Valtteri Bottas (9), Daniel Ricciardo (7), Charles Leclerc (2) and Sergio Pérez (2) adding to Lewis Hamilton’s 99. To put that into perspective, that total translates to 21% of the 1,045 races in Formula 1’s 72-year history.

The bonus that an established F1 driver at a leading team can command for a race win; a championship could carry an even larger bonus. Less experienced drivers or drivers at smaller teams also receive bonuses for race wins or points scored, but the payouts are more modest.

Lewis Hamilton on the podium at November's Turkish Grand Prix, which sealed his seventh championship.

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Lewis Hamilton’s estimated annual endorsement earnings. F1 drivers generally make little from sponsors beyond their salaries, though; Max Verstappen, for instance, collects an estimated $1 million from endorsements. Forbes’ 2021 highest-paid F1 drivers list reflects only on-track earnings from salaries and bonuses.

Lewis Hamilton’s earnings for Forbes’ 2021 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, which placed him eighth. That figure included $70 million in on-track earnings—even better than his $62 million for the highest-paid F1 drivers ranking—because the earlier list tracked income collected in the 12 months ending May 1, 2021, capturing the end of his successful 2020 season. Factoring in his endorsements, Hamilton edged Michael Schumacher ($80 million, 2004) to set an earnings record for F1 drivers.

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