Max Verstappen is the leader in everything
As a two-time defending world champion, the leader of the 2023 world rankings, and the top candidate for the third consecutive world title, Max Verstappen dominates the sport of Formula 1. He is also at the top of other lists in the world of the most important motorsport series, such as the financial list. According to racingnews365.com, the Dutchman from Red Bull is the highest-paid driver on the starting grid, earning $55 million this year. As if that weren’t enough, Max Verstappen also has the longest contract, which expires at the end of the 2028 championship.
The “challengers”
It’s surprising to see Lewis Hamilton in second place on this list, not because of his salary of $35 million (twenty million less than his rival), but because his contract with Mercedes ends this year, and he has not yet reached an agreement for a potential renewal. Finally, Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc takes third place on the podium with a contract that links him Maranello until the end of 2024 (despite the rumours on the Monegasque’s future with a possible exit from Ferrari) and $24 million expected for 2023. This is $12 million more than his Maranello teammate Carlos Sainz, who also has a contract expiring in 2024, and he closes out the top five.
Lando Norris is sandwiched between the two Ferrari drivers, with $20 million and a contract with McLaren that is available until the end of 2025, the longest contract after Max Verstappen.
Driver salaries 2023
| DRIVER | TEAM | SALARY (MILLION $) | EXPIRY |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 55 | 2028 |
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 35 | 2023 |
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 24 | 2024 |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | 20 | 2025 |
| Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 12 | 2024 |
| Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 10 | 2024 |
| Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 10 | 2025 |
| George Russell | Mercedes | 8 | 2023 |
| Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 6 | 2024 |
| Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 5 | 2024 |
| Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 5 | 2024 |
| Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 5 | 2023 |
| Alex Albon | Williams | 3 | 2024 |
| Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 2 | // |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 2 | 2024 |
| Nyck de Vries | Alpha Tauri | 2 | 2023 |
| Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 2 | 2023 |
| Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 2 | 2024 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | Alpha Tauri | 1 | 2024 |
| Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1 | 2023 |
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The biggest differences
The contractual differences between the Mercedes and Red Bull drivers are significant. In the former case, George Russell earns “only” $8 million compared to the seven-time world champion’s $35 million, with two million less than Sergio Perez’s salary, but with a $45 million gap between Sergio Perez’s contract and Max Verstappen’s. Yuki Tsunoda and Logan Sargeant are one with the lowest wages on the grid, earning only one million each, with the only difference being the contract. While Yuki Tsunoda will continue at Faenza until 2024, the American rookie will have to prove himself in his Formula 1 debut to earn a renewal offer from the Grove team. The only unknown data is the expiration date of Lance Stroll’s contract, the son of the owner of Aston Martin.
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