Unbelievable money! See how much Formula 1 pilots earn

Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen or Fernando Alonso? There are billions of dollars in the Formula 1 world, big money indeed, which is also reflected in the salaries of the individual drivers. Who is earning the most and how is the young Schumacher, for example?

Formula 1 and its environment is clearly one of the most exclusive sports on the planet. With its glamour, image and above all its financial resources, the queen of motorsport is surpassed by few other sports. This is, of course, reflected in the salaries of the individual drivers.

So let’s take a look at which driver in the Formula 1 environment takes the most money, or how the drivers of other teams fare. All amounts are in dollars and are annual salaries.

LEWIS HAMILTON (MERCEDES AMG F1) – 30 million USD

The seven-time world champion clearly earns the most in the world of Formula 1. The British driver now earns $30 million a year for Mercedes, roughly $649 million.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, however, Hamilton earned considerably more. Even last season, he was earning almost one billion crowns a year in the Mercedes stable! However, afterwards the British pilot said that he was not feeling well, given the fact that many people had lost their jobs due to the pandemic. So he decided to reduce his salary to “just” 30 million.

MAX VERSTAPPEN (RED BULL RACING) – $25 million

The Dutch talent will earn $25 million a year at Red Bull. The 23-year-old moved to the top of the drivers’ championship for the first time in his career after the Monaco Grand Prix.

Even given his salary, you can see how much Christian Horner, and indeed the whole of Red Bull, respects him. Even at his age he is a very good driver and his potential is unreal.

FERNANDO ALONSO (ALPINE F1) – 20 million USD

The legendary driver and double world champion currently earns $20 million a year, which is roughly 433 million crowns. Again, this is a clear indication of what a household name Alonso is, and not just in the Formula 1 environment.

The 39-year-old is one of the most complete drivers not only on the F1 grid, but also in the world.

DANIEL RICCIARDO (MCLAREN MERCEDES) – $15 million

Fourth in the order is Australian Ricciardo. The 31-year-old driver is another very well-known name. He is currently earning $15 million a year with the British stable, which is roughly 325 million CZK.

Ricciardo recorded his best results during his time at Red Bull, where he battled for the team leader’s position with Verstappen. However, he left that stable in 2018 and joined Renault for the next two seasons. Since this season, he has been driving for the McLaren team, with whose monocoque he is still getting to grips.

SEBASTIAN VETTEL (ASTON MARTIN) – 15 million USD

German driver Sebastian Vettel will earn the same amount as the aforementioned Ricciardo. The four-time world champion has joined Aston Martin from Ferrari. He worked in the Italian stable for five years and also earned very good money there.

Compared to his current salary conditions, he earned one more time in the Maranello stable, i.e. 30 million dollars. All his titles, however, go for his involvement with Red Bull. He was World Champion from 2010 to 2013, when it was Red Bull that dominated Formula 1.

CHARLES LECLERC (SCUDERIA FERRARI) – $12 million

Charles Leclerc will earn $12 million, or about 260 million CZK, at Ferrari. The talented Monegasque, along with his teammate Carlos Sainz, is the future of Ferrari.

the 23-year-old is already proving his quality and could propel the Italian team back to its once glorious heights. In the years to come, we can expect Leclerc to be the one to face Verstappen for the title.

VALTTERI BOTTAS (MERCEDES AMG F1) – 10 million USD

Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas will earn ten million dollars as the clear team leader, which translates to roughly 216 million CZK a year. As for the Finnish driver’s future, it cannot be assumed that his involvement with Mercedes will continue after the season.

It is already evident that the relationship between Bottas and Mercedes is at a total standstill, as evidenced by, for example, the team radio during the grand prix and Bottas’ constant misery.

LANCE STROLL (ASTON MARTIN), CARLOS SAINZ (FERRARI), KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN (ALFA ROMEO) – $10 million

Other drivers who will also earn $10 million during the year are Stroll, Sainz and Räikkönen. Sainz, like Leclerc, is a very talented driver, just three years older. But he’s also seen as the future face of Ferrari, which will put the Italian stable back where it belongs.

Stroll has the backing of his wealthy father, who is also the boss of Aston Martin. And Räikkönen is a world-famous racer and his name is associated not only with F1 but also with the WRC, where he was a driver in his earlier years.

SERGIO PÉREZ (RED BULL RACING) – 8 million USD

For Pérez, the question is whether he will continue with Red Bull next season. However, given that he has now won in Baku and his performances are slowly but surely going up, a contract extension should not be a problem.

At the moment he seems to be the ideal driver to join Verstappen. And in terms of salary, the 31-year-old driver is on the same terms as he was at pink Racing Point last year. He will earn an annual salary of 173 million CZK.

LANDO NORRIS (MCLAREN MERCEDES) – $8 million

Norris is another very talented driver. For only 21 years old, he looks really experienced, doesn’t make unnecessary mistakes and is incredibly fast. Looking to the future – Verstappen, Leclerc and Norris could fight hard together for the world title in the coming years.

He is the future face of McLaren and already a fixture. Once even his teammate Ricciardo gets used to the McLaren monocoque, a fascinating battle for podium finishes awaits.

ESTEBAN OCON (ALPINE F1), PIERRE GASLY (ALPHA TAURI) – Both $5 million

Ocon faces a lot of competition this season, as his teammate is the legendary Spaniard Alonso. For now anyway, the results are even, with the 24-year-old driver earning $5 million for the year. In Czech crowns, that’s 108 million.

Gasly is yet another driver who could have a say in the championship fight in future years. But for now, his career is with Alpha Tauri. However, he is capable of producing great results in the Faenza stable, such as last year’s victory in the Italian Grand Prix. Like Ocon, he’s earning five million dollars a year.

OTHER PILOTS – $1 million

The top five drivers on the start list will earn one million US dollars a year, or 22 million crowns. They are Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi and the two Williams and Haas drivers – George Russell, Nicholas Latifi, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.

YUKI TSUNODA (ALPHA TAURI) – $0.5 million

The pilot who takes the least of all is Japan’s Tsunoda. He is also the youngest driver in the entire starting field and his payout is $0.5 million. In our currency he earns about 11 million CZK per year.

Source: Race Fans