The Formula One season is yet to begin in its earnest, but Max Verstappen is already clear of his rivals. At least when it comes to his annual salary, anyway.
The Dutchman has won the last three world titles and will start the season in Bahrain this weekend aiming to become only the fourth driver in history to win four consecutive drivers’ titles.
Unsurprisingly, Verstappen also tops the list of earners in Formula One.
According to figures published by Racing News 365, the 26-year-old is the best-paid driver in the paddock to the tune of £45million-a-year.
That is over four times the amount his teammate Sergio Perez earns in a year, with the Mexican taking home just over £11m a season from Red Bull.
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Max Verstappen is the highest-paid driver in Formula One, according to a new report
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Lewis Hamilton earns £40m-a-year at Mercedes and will make the same at Ferrari next season
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Charles Leclerc (left) is signed to a £27m-a-year contract with Ferrari, while Lando Norris (right) makes £16m-a-season at McLaren
As it’s often been the case on the track, Verstappen’s closest challenger is Lewis Hamilton, whose contract with Mercedes is worth £40m.
As revealed by Mail Sport last month, the Briton is set to earn approximately the same amount at Ferrari once he completes his shock move to the Scuderia next season.
That figure would put the seven-time world champion comfortably clear of his soon-to-be-teammate Charles Leclerc, who currently earns £27m-a-season at Maranello.
The salary is the third-highest in the paddock, ahead of Lando Norris’ £16m annual pay check, who is almost four times the salary of his McLaren’s teammate Oscar Piastri.
Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, takes home £9.5m per season, while George Russell and Fernando Alonso both earn just north of £14m-a-year.
Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo make £8m and £6m each at Stake F1 Team and Visa Cash App RB.
The Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly pocket just under £5m each, while Kevin Magnussen earns £4m at Haas and Alexander Albon and Lance Stroll both take home in the region of £2.5m-per-year.
The Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly pocket just under £5m each, while Kevin Magnussen earns £4m at Haas and Alexander Albon and Lance Stroll both take home in the region of £2.5m-per-year.
Nico Hulkenberg and Guanyu Zhou earn just over £1.5m a season, while Yuki Tsunoda and Logan Sargeant are relative paupers in the sport with an annual salary of £800,000 each.
The Formula One season gets underway in Bahrain on Saturday with the first of 24 races on the calendar.
Saudi Arabia host the second round of the championship next week, before the teams move to Australia, with Melbourne hosting the third race of the season between March 22 and March 24.
