Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton top the F1 earners list for 2025, but not everybody on the track ends the campaign as a millionaire.
Hamilton, 40, will begin his childhood dream of driving for Ferrari at this weekend’s Australian GP in Melbourne. The Brit will also be earning the salary of his wildest dreams while driving for the iconic Prancing Horse this year.
He will not be the only one pocketing a fortune, as many more drivers collect an eight-figure salary for their driving expertise. While the likes of Hamilton are amassing generational wealth within a single year, many drivers do not even break the seven-figure mark when it comes to their wages.
With the new F1 campaign getting underway at the Australian Grand Prix, Mirror Sport takes a look at the reported F1 driver salaries for the 2025 campaign.
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari may have been the most high profile switch in recent F1 history, but the seven-time world champion is still behind Verstappen in regard to wages. While he reportedly penned a two-year deal worth £48million per year, his Dutch adversary’s contract, which expires in 2028, is worth a jaw-dropping £52m per year.
Rounding out the podium in the salary chart is Hamilton’s Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who signed a multi-year extension worth £27m per year in 2024. Despite being Verstappen’s closest challenger last year, Lando Norris’ £18m annual salary is now tied with Oscar Piastri, whose recently-signed contract saw his salary jump from £4.7m per year to on par with his team-mate.
While George Russell was promoted to Hamilton’s seat, his reported £12m salary is 75% less than his fellow Brit’s wages at Ferrari and £4m less than what Aston Martin pay F1 hero Fernando Alonso.
But while those are the highest earners, many of the lower earning drivers do not even break £1m. Verstappen’s new driving partner for 2025, Liam Lawson, is only being paid £800,000 per year – 65 times less than what Verstappen is pulling in. The lowest earners on the track will be Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls and Alpine prospect Jack Doohan, who are understood to be paid around £700,000 per year.
Teenage prospect and replacement for Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, has been tipped for great things, but he is only earning, by F1’s money-mad standards, a modest salary. The Italian 18-year-old will be paid £1.5m, but it can be assumed that the driving prodigy’s earnings will accelerate in the years to come.
When Hamilton moved to Ferrari, the impressive Carlos Sainz was bumped out of the red brand and welcomed into the arms of Williams. While his pride and confidence may have been dented, his salary has not taken too much of a hit as he is understood to earn a base salary of £8m, a similar figure to what he was understood to be earning at Ferrari.
1. Max Verstappen – Red Bull – £52m
2. Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari – £48m
3. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari – £27m
4. Lando Norris – McLaren – £18m
5. Oscar Piastri – McLaren – £18m
6. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin – £16m
7. George Russell – Mercedes – £12m
8. Carlos Sainz – Williams – £8m
9. Pierre Gasly – Alpine – £8m
10. Alexander Albon – Williams – £6.3m
11. Nico Hulkenberg – Kick Sauber – £5.5m
12. Esteban Ocon – Haas – £5.5m
13. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin – £2.3m
14. Gabriel Bortoletto – Kick Sauber – £1.5m
15. Yuki Tsunoda – Racing Bulls – £1.5m
16. Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes – £1.5m
17. Oliver Bearman – Haas – £800k
18. Liam Lawson – Red Bull – £800k
19. Jack Doohan – Alpine – £700k
20. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls – £700k
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