They not only drive the fastest cars on the planet for their dream job, but F1 drivers also make a very comfortable living thanks to their mind-blowing multi-million salaries. Here we bring you their recently revealed earnings for the upcoming season, which is to start on March 20 with the Bahrain GP.  

If he does finally compete this season, Lewis Hamilton will lead this select group of elite racers for another year. The Mercedes‘ seven-time champion will receive about 40 million dollars if he remains in F1.

This figure stands in stark contrast with the roughly five million dollars of his new partner and compatriot, George Russell, a figure that places him in eleventh place of the salary ranking. 

Max Verstappen remains P2

Keeping his second position of previous years is Max Verstappen. The current world champion will receive nearly 25 million dollars from Red Bull, almost half the amount of his English rival. As for his teammate in the blue team, Checo Perez, he will have to settle for 10 million dollars and tenth place. 

Completing the podium of the highest-paid F1 drivers is Spaniard Fernando Alonso who will be getting 20 million dollars from Alpine, four times more than his teammate Esteban Ocon.

The Frenchman will only be paid 5 million dollars for his efforts, a figure that places him in the thirteenth position. This huge difference in earnings is a clear reflection of their careers; Alonso a two-time world champion versus Ocon, who has only one Formula 1 GP victory under his belt. 

Another world champion on the grid, Sebastian Vettel, takes fourth place this year. The German four-time champion will receive a stipend of 15 million dollars from Aston Martin, five more than Lance Stroll, in ninth. 

Daniel Ricciardo completes the top 5

Completing the top 5 is Daniel Ricciardo with a 15 million wage from McLaren. Surprisingly, his teammate Lando Norris, who was much more competitive last year, is only been dealt a five million salary. 

In sixth and seventh place of the ranking is one of the most equal pair of drivers in the grid, both on the track and as far as their remuneration is concerned. The Monegasque Charles Leclerc will receive a 12 million dollar check from Ferrari, 2 million more than the Spaniard Carlos Sainz. 

Meanwhile, and despite having ostensibly worsened his winning prospects by leaving Mercedes for Alfa Romeo, Valtteri Bottas will virtually maintain his earning status.

The team from Hinwil, with the largest pay discrepancy between its drivers, will compensate the Finn with 10 million dollars. The Chinese rookie Guanyu Zhou (16th), on the other hand, will have to make do with a squalid one million dollars at his Formula One debut. 

‘Proletarian’ zone of the grid

Also part of the ‘proletarian’ zone of the grid (14th place) is Pierre Gasly. After completing his best F1 campaign in 2021, Alpha Tauri has agreed on a five-million-dollar salary for the upcoming one. 

The team from Faenza has also offered its drivers two very different deals. A victim of his youth and inconsistency, the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda will be the lowest-paid member of the grid with $750,000, the only driver that does not reach the million-dollar salary. 

Behind Gasly comes Alex Albon (Williams) in fifteenth place. After being left out of Red Bull in 2021, he will return to Formula One with the team from Grove for two million dollars. 

Finally, and on a 1-million-dollar tie are Haas drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, who will be hoping that their meagre financial rewards will be compensated with more technically support on the track.