In Formula 1 gigantic sums of money are handled that could even seem ridiculous. A million euros is a figure that many dream of every night, but in the Great Circus, any decision can make all these zeros go one way or the other.
Those who earn the most each season come to pocket tens of millions of euros, especially those who are at the front in each race, such as Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen.
Forbes magazine usually publishes a list every year in which the salaries of the Formula 1 drivers appear, and with the multimillion-dollar contract that the current world champion has just signed with Red Bull, it is interesting to see who is the one that earns the most per course in your bank account.
The list of the 10 highest paid drivers on the Formula 1 grid in 2022
| Pilot | Base salary | bonuses | Total |
| Max Verstappen | €50 million | €15 million | €65 million |
| Lewis Hamilton | €50 million | €6 million | €56 million |
| Fernando Alonso | €22 million | – | €22 million |
| sergio perez | €4.5 million | €11.5 million | €16 million |
| Sebastian Vettel | €13.5 million | – | €13.5 million |
| charles leclerc | €11 million | – | €9 million |
| Valtteri Bottas | €9 million | – | €9 million |
| Daniel Ricciardo | €9 million | – | €50 million |
| lando norris | €3 million | €5.5 million | €8.5 million |
| Carlos Sainz | €7 million | – | €7 million |
Forbes has made this ranking based on team financial documents, legal and press information, as well as interviews with insiders and sports consultants. Figures are gross, excluding taxes and managers’ fees.
Max Verstappen, who until the signing of his new contract was earning around 36 million euros, has now risen to 50 million, according to recently published information. If the Dutchman completes all the bonuses, he would reach 65 million euros, something historic that no driver in history would have reached.
Lewis Hamilton is the driver who received the most money for his stay each year in Formula 1, a total of almost 50 million euros for his base salary, to which another more than 6 million would have to be added in terms of bonuses. After the announcement of Red Bull with Max Verstappen until 2028, the seven-time champion would take more than 56 million euros for each course he spends at Mercedes and would be in second position.
The podium is closed by Fernando Alonso, who despite having been out of the Great Circus for two years, his cache for being two-time champion raises his salary to 22 and a half million euros, a more than respectable figure for the Alpine driver.
Behind them is Sergio Pérez, who thanks to the contract he signed with Red Bull to be Max Verstappen’s squire, fills his coffers with 4.5 million euros plus what he can receive in terms of bonuses, so he would reach more than 16 million. In fifth place is Sebastian Vettel, who earns a total of €13.5m net for every year he spends driving for Aston Martin.
Ferrari is the most successful team in the history of Formula 1, and could not miss the opportunity to make Charles Leclerc one of the highest paid in the paddock. The Monegasque has a salary of almost 11 million euros, something that is guaranteed until 2024.
Valtteri Bottas, who left Mercedes for Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season, pocketed around 9 million euros last year, although that figure will almost certainly have been reduced after joining the Hinwil team.
At McLaren they usually pay their drivers quite well, and Daniel Ricciardo signed a contract with those from Woking after leaving Renault for a value of 9 million euros per course, an amount each season he wins until the end of the present one, since that is when your engagement ends.
His partner, Lando Norris, renewed with a curious video in which he appeared as the protagonist of a kind of video game, and his presence at McLaren was assured until “beyond 2022”, because they did not specify dates, although it is certain that he wins almost 3 million euros of base salary and another 5.5 million in bonuses, so it could reach 8.5 million euros per season.
The last of the ten highest paid drivers on the Formula 1 grid is Carlos Sainz, who with his salary of more than 7 million euros, enjoys a contract with Ferrari until the end of 2022. However, the Madrid native is expected to end up renewing with the Italians for more seasons.
