Formula 1: Top 10 highest paid drivers of the 2024 season

Formula 1 drivers are some of the highest paid athletes in the world, but not all of them are bringing in eight figures per year.

Who were the sport's highest earners of the 2024 season? Here are the top 10, based strictly on salary (and thus excluding endorsements and other deals).

Three of the sport's 10 teams – Alpine, Haas, and Williams – did not place a driver inside the top 10, while three teams have two drivers who made the rankings.

All figures courtesy of Spotrac.

10. Daniel Ricciardo, RB

Daniel Ricciardo didn't make it until the end of the 2024 season before he was replaced by Liam Lawson at RB, but he still made it count. The driver who once believed he was out of Formula 1 before being extended a lifeline at the time then known as AlphaTauri last year made $7,000,000 in 2024.

9. Valtteri Bottas, Sauber

Another driver who probably won't be back in Formula 1 beyond the 2024 season is Valtteri Bottas, who is set to be replaced by rookie Gabriel Bortoleto at Sauber next year. He too made it count, earning $10,000,000 in his third and final year at the team.

8. Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari

Yet another driver who won't be back with his current team in 2025 is Carlos Sainz Jr., though his final season at Ferrari is not set to be his final season in Formula 1. The Williams-bound driver, who is set to be replaced by Lewis Hamilton next year, made $12,000,000 in his fourth and final season in Scuderia red.

7. Sergio Perez, Red Bull

If the reports are to be believed, Sergio Perez will also not return to Red Bull for a fifth season in 2025 after he was unable to rediscover the form that once made him a formidable number two driver at the Milton Keynes-based team. He earned $14,000,000 as Max Verstappen's teammate in 2024.

T-5. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

The formerly retired two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has proven over the last four seasons that he still has what it takes to compete at a high level in Formula 1, and his salary as Aston Martin's lead driver illustrates it. The 43-year-old earned $18,000,000 in 2024.

T-5. George Russell, Mercedes

George Russell made a statement with his Las Vegas win, solidifying himself as the number one driver at Mercedes as the post-Lewis Hamilton era prepares to commence. And he is pretty much already paid like a top driver with a salary of $18,000,000.

4. Lando Norris, McLaren

McLaren have long believed that Lando Norris could contend for world championships, and while he came up short in 2024, he got his first taste of a title battle. He has more than likely solidified himself as a threat for years to come, and he has proven to be worth his $20,000,000 salary.

3. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Charles Leclerc is another driver seemingly on the verge of becoming a true world championship threat, and he showed that again in 2024. The difference between him and Norris is that he has been at that level for longer, and he is already paid like a true top driver, with Ferrari giving their lead man $34,000,000.

2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton is set to become Formula 1's highest paid driver in 2025 when he officially makes the move from Mercedes to Ferrari, but for now, the seven-time world champion has to settle for second place with a salary of $45,000,000.

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull

Max Verstappen signed a five-year deal worth $275 million before the 2023 season, which was the final season of his previous deal, and is tied to Red Bull for $55,000,000 per year through 2028. The question is whether or not he stays through 2028, but any team swap would presumably see that figure double – at least.

The 2025 Formula 1 season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 16 with the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Circuit.