Max Verstappen finishes 2025 not just as runner-up in the championship but as the top earner on the grid. Forbes estimates the Red Bull star at $76 million in on-track income, built from a $65 million salary package and roughly $11 million in performance bonuses.

That total puts him narrowly ahead of his long-time rival Hamilton, despite the Dutchman missing out on a fifth title by just two points to Lando Norris.

Verstappen’s latest haul continues a multi-year trend in which his Red Bull deal has reset the ceiling for driver pay. Reports across the paddock consistently place his base salary at or near the top of the sport, and his win-based incentives and championship clauses ensure his income tracks closely with his sustained dominance at the front.

Hamilton and Norris Lead the Chasing Pack

On pure salary, Lewis Hamilton still sets the benchmark. In his first season with Ferrari, the seven-time world champion is estimated to earn $70 million in base pay, a figure some outlets list between $57 million and $60 million before bonuses, but which Forbes and other salary trackers converge around at $70 million total on-track. 

Modest performance incentives push that number to roughly $70.5 million, leaving him fractionally behind Verstappen when bonuses are tallied.

Lando Norris, fresh off his breakthrough world title with McLaren, slots third with around $57.5 million in combined salary and bonuses. His base retainer remains relatively modest at an estimated $18–20 million, but a championship season has triggered heavy bonus payouts that nearly triple his headline figure and cement his place among F1’s financial elite.

Rising Stars and the Rest of the Top Ten

Further down the 2025 money list, the pattern is clear. Younger stars and proven race winners are cashing in on a booming commercial era. Oscar Piastri’s estimated $37.5 million package at McLaren reflects rapid progression from rookie to race winner, with a low eight-figure base salary reportedly boosted by a rich bonus ladder similar to Norris’s.

Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, anchors Ferrari’s long-term core on approximately $30 million in salary, holding fifth place in the earnings table despite a bonus-free year.

Veteran Fernando Alonso continues to command a premium at Aston Martin at around the mid-$20 million mark, with George Russell, Lance Stroll, and Carlos Sainz clustered in the low- to mid-teens when salary and incentives are combined.

Rounding out the top ten is teenage prodigy Kimi Antonelli, whose $12.5 million total already mixes a $5 million base with significant performance upside, a sign of how aggressively top teams are investing in the next generation.