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F1 Driver Salaries 2025: Top 10 Highest Earners and How Rookies Compare
Sushan Chakraborty has been writing professionally since debuting with 90min in 2017. He has since typed out thousands of articles, learning the trade from some of the smartest minds in the business. Now at Sportscasting, he is striving to whip up his best articles yet.
Get to know Sushan Chakraborty betterPublished18 Mar 2025
Over the last decade, Formula 1 (F1) has been soaring in popularity, with a record number of fans attending the Grands Prix every season.
The drivers, who only used to dominate the discussions of die-hard F1 fans, have now become global icons, emerging as some of the highest-paid athletes in the world.
Computing exactly how much the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen make is far from straightforward. In addition to the confidential base salary, they make millions from sponsorships, performance bonuses, endorsements, and more.
Luckily for us geeks, the good people at RacingNews365 “spoke to various sources within the F1 paddock” to get a reliable enough estimate of the F1 driver salaries for 2025.
us as we take a look at the top 10 highest-paid F1 drivers in 2025 and explore how the rookies stack up.
Let’s begin!
Note: Only base salaries are listed, not inclusive of sponsorships, endorsements, and performance bonuses.
Ranked: Who are the Highest-Paid F1 Drivers in 2025?
#10 Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber
In 10th place, we have Sauber leader Nico Hulkenberg. The ‘Hulk’, who ed Sauber — would be Audi next season — from Haas at the end of his contract, is on a £5.4 million ($7 million) per season deal. The 37-year-old sees his contract run until 2027.
Hulkenberg has participated in 228 Grands Prix since his debut in 2010. He is still searching for his first podium, having finished fourth on three occasions.
Hulkenberg delivered an impressive race in the 2025 F1 opener in Melbourne, finishing seventh and scoring six points for Sauber — two points than they scored across the 2025 season.
#9 Alex Albon – Williams
Alex Albon is one of the highest-paid F1 drivers in 2025, with the Thai driver taking home a cool £6.2 million ($8 million). The former Red Bull and AlphaTauri driver is contractually tied to Williams until 2027.
Albon, 29, has competed in 105 Grands Prix, getting on the podium three times and amassing a total of 250 points.
Albon drove his finest race for Williams at the Australian Grand Prix. He finished in fifth place, giving his team an invaluable 10 points.
#8 Pierre Gasly – Alpine
Alpine frontman Pierre Gasly is the eighth highest-paid F1 driver on the 2025 grid, earning £7.7 million ($10 million) in base salary. Gasly, who has been with Alpine since 2023, sees his deal expire after the 2026 season.
Gasly, who has also driven for Red Bull and Torro Rosso/AlphaTauri, has started 154 Grands Prix, winning 436 points. The one-time winner has been on the podium five times.
Gasly had a disappointing debut in the 2025 F1 season, with the Frenchman finishing outside of the points in 11th.
#7 Carlos Sainz – Williams
Carlos Sainz was shockingly out of a seat early in the 2024 F1 season, as Ferrari replaced him with Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season. After months of speculation, Sainz ed Williams, reportedly g a deal running until the end of the 2027 season. The Spaniard, who won two races in 2024, is earning a salary of £7.7 million ($10 million).
The former Toro Rosso, Renault, and McLaren driver has taken part in 207 Grands Prix, winning four races, finishing on the podium 27 times, and securing 1272.5 points.
Sainz, who topped the practice in Bahrain, has had an unfortunate start to life at Williams. He crashed in the opening lap in Melbourne, that too under the Safety Car. It, however, was a technical issue and should not bother him in China.
#6 George Russell – Mercedes
George Russell, now the lead driver of Mercedes, is on a lucrative £11.6 million ($15 million) deal. The Englishman is contractually tied to the Silver Arrows until the end of the 2025 season.
Russell, who moved to Mercedes from Williams in 2022, has gone racing 129 times, securing 729 points. The 27-year-old has been on the podium 16 times, climbing the top step three times.
Russell did not show much pace in the F1 2025 opener in Australia, but he did well to keep his car pointed in the right direction under tricky conditions. His discipline propelled him to an impressive third-place finish.
#5 Lando Norris – McLaren
The favourite to win the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship, Lando Norris is in fifth place with a gross salary of £15.5 million ($20 million). The McLaren No. 4 sees his deal run until 2026, but there is an extension clause in his contract.
Norris has entered 129 Grands Prix, winning 1032 points. Norris has been on the podium 27 times, finishing first on five occasions.
The English driver, who only won his first F1 race in 2024, has gotten off to a flyer in 2025. He claimed pole position in the Australian Grand Prix and converted it into an impressive win.
#4 Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
By far the oldest driver on the grid, Aston Martin leader Fernando Alonso earns a cool £15.5 million (20 million) per season. The 43-year-old’s contract with Aston Martin runs until the end of the 2026 season, but he has the option to extend his stay.
The two-time F1 Drivers’ Champion has been in 405 Grands Prix, putting 2337 points under his belt. He has been on the podium 106 times, winning 32 races.
Alonso had a disappointing race in Australia. The Spaniard crashed on Lap 34 after being caught out by the retweaked Turn 6.
#3 Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
Ferrari poster-boy Charles Leclerc is the highest-paid non-champion on the F1 grid this year. The Monagasque driver is on a £26.3 million ($34 million) contract, which runs until the end of the 2028 season.
Leclerc, who famously won at Monaco and Monza in 2024, has participated in 148 Grands Prix. He has been on the podium 43 times and won eight races. His points tally stands at 1434.
Leclerc — a contender for the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship — had a race to forget in Australia. He finished in eighth place, scoring only four points for the Italians.
#2 Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
The most popular figure in F1 history, Lewis Hamilton switched from Mercedes to Ferrari for the 2025 season. The t-record seven-time F1 Drivers’ Champion signed a two-season deal with Ferrari (until 2026), earning a whopping £46.3 million ($60 million). A clause in his contract allows Hamilton and Ferrari to extend their collaboration beyond 2026.
Hamilton is the most successful F1 driver in history, winning 105 races and getting on the podium 202 times in 357 races. The Englishman, who won the British and Belgian Grands Prix in 2024, has amassed 4863.5 points.
Hamilton’s Ferrari debut, however, did not go according to plan. The 39-year-old finished 10th after losing a position to Oscar Piastri on the final lap.
#1 Max Verstappen – Red Bull
The reigning F1 Drivers’ Champion, Max Verstappen is the highest-paid driver in 2025. The four-time champion earns a mega £50 million ($65 million) and is set to remain with the Austrian Constructors until the end of the 2028 campaign.
Verstappen, who spectacularly finished first after starting 17th at the San Paulo GP, has raced in 210 Grands Prix. The Dutchman has amassed 3041.5 points, winning 63 races and climbing the podium 113 times.
Despite not having the fastest car on the grid, Verstappen gave Lando Norris a run for his money in the 2025 F1 season opener. He finished second, trailing Norris’ McLaren by 0.895 seconds.
Who Is the Highest-Paid Rookie in 2025 F1 Season?
The 2025 F1 season has as many as six rookies — Liam Lawson (Red Bull), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Jack Doohan (Alpine), Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), and Oliver Bearman (Haas) — participating in their first-ever full season. Unsurprisingly, they are the six lowest-paid F1 drivers on the grid in 2025.
Antonelli and Bortoleto are the highest-paid rookies in 2025, with Mercedes and Sauber both paying their drivers £1.6 million ($2 million).
Kimi Antonelli. F1's second youngest points scorer in history 👏#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/gY6AnwyPYY
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2025
Bearman and Lawson occupy the next two slots, earning £0.8 million ($1 million) per season. Doohan and Hadjar complete the rankings, making between £0.4 and 0.8 million ($0.5-1 million) in 2025. Hadjar Lawson, Bortoleto, Doohan, and Hadjar could not complete their first race whereas Bearman finished last. Antonelli, meanwhile, exceeded expectations, finishing fourth and scoring 12 points.