F1 2025 salaries: Verstappen and Hamilton lead, Norris climbs past Leclerc thanks to huge bonuses. Lando Norris climbs into the F1 top-3 in total earnings for 2025 thanks to $39.5 million in performance bonuses.

A look at how driver salaries and performance bonuses shaped the top earners in Formula 1 in 2025

F1 driver salaries

With his World Championship victory in Abu Dhabi, Lando Norris not only made history in Formula 1 but also received a substantial financial bonus from McLaren – a reward that certainly doesn’t hurt. According to Forbes magazine, which annually publishes a ranking of Formula 1 driver salaries as well as total earnings including any performance-related bonuses, the 26-year-old British driver has entered the top three, overtaking Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the virtual podium.

McLaren drivers make a leap forward

It is not so much Lando Norris’ base salary – which will likely increase soon now that he has a Formula 1 World Championship on his record – that pushed him up the earnings list, but the bonuses provided by McLaren for wins, pole positions, podium finishes, and points accumulated throughout the 2025 season. Forbes estimates that Lando Norris earned a base salary of just $18 million per season, yet his total income soared to $57.5 million thanks to $39.5 million in performance-related extras. A similar story applies to his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who ranks fourth in Forbes’ list with a total of $37.5 million, composed of a $10 million base salary plus $27.5 million in bonuses.

Verstappen-Hamilton head-to-head

At the top of the ranking, however, there were no major surprises. The highest-paid driver in pure salary terms is Lewis Hamilton, who last year surpassed Max Verstappen thanks to his $70 million annual salary guaranteed by Ferrari. However, a difficult season at the wheel of the Scuderia allowed Verstappen to retake the top spot, consolidating his first position in the list: Forbes estimates his base income at $65 million, with an additional $11 million in performance-related bonuses, bringing his total to $76 million. Hamilton, meanwhile, “settles” for second place with $70.5 million, including only $500,000 in bonuses – likely related to his victory in the now-infamous Sprint Race in China.

Charles Leclerc loses ground

Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, loses ground. According to Forbes, the Monegasque Ferrari driver did not receive any performance-related bonuses, leaving him with only his $30 million base salary, which still secures him an honorable fifth place. Further down the list is another major protagonist of the season, George Russell, who collected $11 million in bonuses but remains seventh due to a “modest” $15 million base salary. The veteran Fernando Alonso, with a $24 million salary and $2.5 million in performance bonuses, finishes the season in sixth place on the F1 rich list.

F1 driver salaries: two new entries in the top-10

While Sergio Perez – who did not compete in Formula 1 but will return to the cockpit of the Cadillac-Ferrari in 2026 – and Pierre Gasly, hampered by Alpine’s poor performance, drop out of the top-10 list, there are two new entries. Lance Stroll surprises with an estimated $12 million salary plus $1.5 million in bonuses, placing him eighth. Andrea Kimi Antonelli enters tenth with a $5 million base salary and $7.5 million in bonuses. Ninth place is occupied by Carlos Sainz, who totals $13 million with a $10 million base and $3 million in bonuses.

The F1 rich list in 2025

Here is the summary table of Formula 1 drivers’ salaries, bonuses, and total earnings at the end of the 2025 season, according to Forbes’ estimates.

All figures are in millions of US dollars. With new contracts already being negotiated for 2026 and beyond, expect this list to look very different in twelve months’ time.