The 2025 F1 season has come to a close, and the numbers are in—Max Verstappen has claimed the title of the highest-paid driver, even though he narrowly missed securing his fifth consecutive world championship. But here's where it gets intriguing: despite Verstappen’s top earnings, his base salary doesn’t outshine Lewis Hamilton’s, who faced a rocky start with Ferrari. So, how did Verstappen pull ahead? Let’s dive into the details.
According to Forbes, Hamilton secured a staggering $70 million in salary, surpassing Verstappen’s base pay. However, the Red Bull driver’s substantial bonuses propelled him to the top spot with total earnings of $76 million. This raises a question: Should bonuses carry more weight than base salary when determining a driver’s value? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Lando Norris, who clinched the world championship, landed in third place overall, trailing Verstappen and Hamilton. Interestingly, Norris’s McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, followed closely behind, thanks to significant bonus earnings. Charles Leclerc, in the second Ferrari car, rounded out the top five.
And this is the part most people miss: the earnings gap between drivers isn’t just about base salaries—bonuses play a massive role. For instance, Norris earned $39.5 million in bonuses, nearly doubling his base salary of $18 million. Similarly, Piastri’s bonuses boosted his total earnings to $37.5 million, despite a modest base salary of $10 million.
Here’s the full breakdown of the top 10 highest-paid F1 drivers for 2025:
| Driver | Base Salary | Bonuses | Total Earnings |
|-------------------|-------------|-----------|----------------|
| Max Verstappen | $65m | $11m | $76m |
| Lewis Hamilton | $70m | $0.5m | $70.5m |
| Lando Norris | $18m | $39.5m | $57.5m |
| Oscar Piastri | $10m | $27.5m | $37.5m |
| Charles Leclerc | $30m | $0 | $30m |
| Fernando Alonso | $24m | $2.5m | $26.5m |
| George Russell | $15m | $11m | $26m |
| Lance Stroll | $12m | $1.5m | $13.5m |
| Carlos Sainz | $10m | $3m | $13m |
| Kimi Antonelli | $5m | $7.5m | $12.5m |
As the 2025 season fades into memory, the 2026 F1 calendar is already generating buzz. Don’t miss a single race—download the calendar directly to your smartphone or PC and stay ahead of the action. But here’s a thought to leave you with: With bonuses playing such a pivotal role in driver earnings, should teams reconsider how they structure their contracts? Share your opinions below!
Download the 2026 F1 calendar here: https://racingnews365.com/add-the-2026-f1-calendar-to-your-agenda-with-one-click or webcal://racingnews365.com/ics/download/calendar-formula-2026.ics?all.
