Four times in a row Max Verstappen became world champion in Formula 1. But is the most successful F1 driver of the present day also the one who leads the ranking of Formula 1 salaries in 2025?
How much will Formula 1 drivers earn in the 2025 season and per race?
What is Verstappen’s salary in the 2025 season? What do the other world championship favorites Lando Norris (McLaren) and 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who now drives a Ferrari, earn? And how high are the salaries of Formula 1 newcomers such as Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Jack Doohan?
The Formula 1 salaries of the drivers in 2025
Verstappen is also salary world champion
As on the racetracks of this world, Max Verstappen dominates the competition in the Formula 1 Salaries 2025 race – and distances himself from all of them.
With an annual salary of 65 million dollars, Verstappen is by far the best-paid Formula 1 driver in 2025. No one in the Formula 1 circus earns more!
With 24 races in the 2025 season, Verstappen’s salary is around 2.7 million dollars per race! Regardless of whether he wins or retires in the first round.
Who is behind the reigning world champion in the Formula 1 money rankings?
In second place in the Formula 1 salaries for 2025 is someone who has even more to show than “Mad Max” in terms of world championship titles – seven-time champion Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton.
Hamilton has certainly improved financially with his switch from Mercedes to Ferrari. In the previous season, he was “only” paid 45 million dollars; now at the Scuderia, Hamilton’s salary for this season is 60 million dollars. Sir Lewis” receives 2.5 million dollars per race.
Charles Leclerc is the second Ferrari driver in third place in the Formula 1 driver salary ranking for 2025. Leclerc will earn a salary of 34 million dollars in the 2025 season. This means he will “only” receive around half of Hamilton’s salary.
Leclcerc will therefore receive around 1.4 million dollars for each of the 24 races of the season.
The salaries of Formula 1 drivers in 2025 by team
Red Bull
- Max Verstappen: 65 million dollars
- Liam Lawson: 1 million dollars
Mercedes
- George Russell: 15 million dollars
- Andrea Antonelli: 2 million dollars Dollar
Ferrari
- Charles Leclerc: 34 Mio. Dollar
- Lewis Hamilton: 60 Mio. Dollar
McLaren
- Lando Norris: 20 Mio. Dollars
- Oscar Piastri: 6 million dollars
Aston Martin
- Fernando Alonso: 20 million dollars
- Lance Stroll: 3 million dollars
Alpine
- Piere Gasly: 10 million dollars
- Jack Doohan: 2 million. Dollar
Williams
- Alex Albon: 5 Mio. Dollar
- Carlos Sainz: 10 Mio. Dollar
Racing Bulls
- Yuki Tsunoda: 3 Mio. Dollar
- Isack Hadjar: 1 Mio. Dollar
Sauber
- Nico Hülkenberg: 5 Mio. Dollars
- Gabriel Bortoleto: 2 million dollars
Haas
- Esteban Ocon: 5 million dollars
- Oliver Bearman: 1 million dollars dollars
Looking at the Formula 1 salaries by team in 2025, it is noticeable that there is a large discrepancy between the top earner and number 1 driver and between the respective team colleague at teams such as Red Bull Racing, McLaren Mercedes and Aston Martin.
The difference at Red Bull between Verstappen and his new teammate Liam Lawson is a whopping 65 million dollars a year. At Mercedes, the difference between George Russel and F1 newcomer Andrea Kimi Antonelli is 13 million US dollars.
The two Aston Martin drivers, on the other hand, are further apart. Former champion Fernando Alonso has a salary of 20 million dollars this season, while team owner’s son Lance Stroll only earns 3 million dollars at “AM”.
And McLaren also has a big difference in salary between its two drivers.
Lando Norris will pocket 20 million dollars this year, which puts him in 4th place on the list of Formula 1 salaries for 2025 together with Alons. His team-mate Oscar Piastri has an annual salary of 6 million dollars. This is also reflected in the salary per race. Piastri earns 250,000 dollars – Norris over 830,000 dollars.
Ferrari, in turn, has by far the most expensive driver pairing in the 2025 season.
Hamilton collects 60 million dollars, Leclerc comes to 34 million dollars. The two are ranked second and third in the list of Formula 1 salaries for 2025. Together, they will cost the Scuderia a whopping 94 million dollars this year alone!
Formula 1 salaries 2025: Which drivers get the least?
What is the situation at the lower end of the salary scale in motorsport’s premier class?
Oliver Bearman from the Haas team and F1 newcomer Isack Hadjar, who will drive for Racing Bulls, share the last place in the ranking of Formula 1 driver salaries in 2025. Both have an annual salary of around 1 million dollars.
With 24 races in the season, their Formula 1 salaries are around 41,000 dollars per race.
Gabriel Bortoleto, also new to the Sauber team, is earning a little more in his Formula 1 debut season – 2 million dollars. Just like Jack Doohan at Alpine.
Carlos Sainz’s sporting fortunes may have worsened with his move from Ferrari to Williams, but the Spaniard is still cashing in handsomely with the latecomer team: Sainz is earning 10 million dollars this season. This puts him in the top third of the Formula 1 Salaries 2025 ranking.
Sainz’s team-mate Alex Albon, on the other hand, has a fixed salary of USD 5 million, but with bonuses and premiums can even reach a season salary of 8 million.
What is Nico Hülkenberg’s salary?
Nico Hülkenberg is the only German driver in the 2025 season in motorsport’s premier class. He switched from Haas to Team Sauber, which will become Audi from 2026.
How much does Hülkenberg earn in Formula 1?
Hülkenberg is earning an annual salary of 5 million dollars this season. This puts him right in the middle of the 20 drivers in the Formula 1 salary ranking for 2025 – in 10th place.
With bonus payments, Hülkenberg could even earn an annual salary of 7 million dollars.
Considering that “Hulk” drives for a team that has to fight to finish in the points, he earns very well. For comparison: Oscar Piastri, who can compete for victories in McLaren, only earns one million USD more.
What do others earn in Formula 1?
While the list of Formula 1 driver salaries in 2025 only includes millionaires, the second tier of the F1 squad is also very well paid.
The physiotherapists, who are among the drivers’ closest confidants and most important employees, are paid princely salaries ranging from 50,000 to 150,000 euros. The majority of physios receive between 70,000 and 80,000 euros a year.
For mechanics, the salary varies depending on responsibility and position: the average annual salary of a mechanic is around 50,000 euros per year. Engineer salaries start at around 60,000 euros. Depending on the area of responsibility, however, a six-figure annual salary is also possible
