Formula 1: Who are the highest paid drivers for the 2019 season?
By Asher Fair
1. Lewis Hamilton – $57,000,000
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsports’ Lewis Hamilton is Formula 1’s highest paid driver for the 2019 season, which should come to the surprise of absolutely nobody. His salary for the 2019 season is $57,000,000.
Like Rich Energy Haas teammates Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean, Racing Point’s Sergio Perez, Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, teammate Valtteri Bottas, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton is one of the eight drivers who are set to return to the teams for which they drove in the 2018 season in the 2019 season.
Hamilton has competed in Formula 1 since the 2007 season, and he has not missed a single race since he began driving. After driving for McLaren from the 2007 season through the 2012 season, he began driving for Mercedes in the 2013 season. He has driven for the team ever since, and his current contract with the team expires at the end of the 2020 season.
In his 229 career Formula 1 starts, the 34-year-old Briton has earned 73 victories, a total that ranks second on the all-time Formula 1 wins list behind that of Michael Schumacher (91). He has also earned 134 podium finishes, a total that ranks second on the all-time Formula 1 podium finishes list behind that of Schumacher (155). His 83 career pole positions are an all-time record by far, as the second place total of Schumacher is 68.
In his 12 seasons competing in Formula 1, Hamilton has never finished in lower than fifth place in the driver standings. He has won five championships, a total that is tied for second place on the all-time Formula 1 titles list with that of Juan Manuel Fangio and behind that of Schumacher (seven). Hamilton’s career average starting position is 4.0, and his career average finishing position is 5.2.