I have prepared a summary of the estimated earnings of Formula 1 drivers in 2026 based on various sources. There are many similar summaries on the Internet, I tried to prepare a balanced ranking taking into account different information from the past year.
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Formula 1 drivers’ salaries are not public, they cannot be read from financial reports (except for Stroll). In the case of some drivers, specific amounts of how much they are supposed to earn get leaked to the media, most often during the signing of a new contract. However, there is no 100% certainty that this information is true. These may be controlled leaks of contract details or numbers invented by the media. Various services regularly publish earnings summaries of F1 drivers. The media estimate them based on such reports and also create missing data themselves. The summaries published on the Internet usually differ from each other for certain drivers or are direct copies without source verification. Remember, these are only estimates. Apart from a few drivers whose salaries appeared in credible media, the earnings of the remaining drivers are only estimates. There is secrecy in Formula 1 on this topic; it is not like in American professional leagues where salary amounts are public.
When it comes to F1 drivers’ salaries, bonuses should not be included in such summaries, and most drivers receive them (in varying amounts). Very often F1 drivers receive bonuses, for example, for podium finishes or points, and their amount depends on the contract. Drivers also have private sponsors. The rules in F1 have changed somewhat in favor of the drivers because there are more private sponsors than a few years ago. Some drivers even have their own businesses that they promote in F1.
Estimated earnings of Formula 1 drivers in 2026
All amounts in the table refer only to the main salaries drivers receive from teams. The summary was created based on last year’s data and information appearing in the media since then – I took into account differences in published figures and provided what I consider the most credible. I paid special attention to new contracts, as they should be associated with a change in remuneration.
| Driver | Team | Earnings in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 70 mln $ |
| Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 60 mln $ |
| George Russell | Mercedes | 40 mln $ |
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 35 mln $ |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | 25 mln $ |
| Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 20 mln $ |
| Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 20 mln $ |
| Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 15 mln $ |
| Carlos Sainz | Williams | 10 mln $ |
| Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 10 mln $ |
| Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 8-10 mln $ |
| Alexander Albon | Williams | 8 mln $ |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 7-8 mln $ |
| Esteban Ocon | Haas | 6-8 mln $ |
| Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 5-10 mln $ |
| Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 5-10 mln $ |
| Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 5 mln $ |
| Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1 mln $ |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1 mln $ |
| Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1 mln $ |
| Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1 mln $ |
| Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1 mln $ |
Discussion of F1 drivers’ salaries in the 2026 season
At the top of the list is Max Verstappen, who has a very high salary at Red Bull. However, an important issue arises here. The Dutchman has been consistently successful in recent years, so he received very large bonuses. In 2026, there seems to be little chance of many wins or a fight for the championship title. I listed 70 mln $ in the table, but his base salary may be much lower; it was previously estimated at 60 mln $. We do not know the actual amount because since signing his current contract with Red Bull, he has continuously had great success and thus bonuses. Second is Lewis Hamilton, who received a raise when moving to Ferrari and should earn 60 mln $ this year. These two drivers regularly appear in Forbes magazine’s lists of the highest-paid athletes in the world. In last year’s Forbes summary, Hamilton’s earnings were estimated at 80 mln $, and Verstappen’s at 78 mln $, but these are total earnings including income from personal sponsors – details.
Mercedes drivers negotiated new contracts for a long time, which they signed in October last year, both receiving large raises. Media speculated that George Russell would earn 30 million pounds annually from 2026, i.e., about 40 mln $, which is the amount I entered in the table. Other media preparing such earnings summaries give Russell figures around 25-30 mln $. Antonelli also got a big raise, but due to his limited experience, 10 mln $ is the maximum he could get. The amounts may seem large to you, but Mercedes currently spends less on drivers’ salaries than when Hamilton drove for them.
Charles Leclerc earns very well at Ferrari. The current contract of the Monegasque with Ferrari covers the 2025–2029 seasons (the last two are optional), and according to credible information from Italy, its value gradually increases up to 50 mln $ for the 2029 season. Ferrari offered him such a contract to keep him longer.
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For McLaren drivers, I listed the same amounts as last year because these drivers signed current contracts earlier. Due to many sporting successes, they certainly received very large bonuses (especially Norris for the world championship), so their real earnings will be much higher.
Great money compared to the results achieved on the track due to a poor car will again be earned this year by Aston Martin drivers. Fernando Alonso’s earnings in this team are estimated at 20 mln $. For Lance Stroll, we know specific amounts because he settles with the team through his company and received 12.3 mln $ in 2024 (details). I expect that this year, due to additional sponsors and Honda’s entry, he will get more, so I entered 15 mln $ in the table.
Williams team drivers, as well as Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, and Nico Hulkenberg, compete this season under the same contracts as last year, so I entered the same amounts for them. In some cases, these are ranges because it is difficult to give a specific value.
Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas returned to F1 signing contracts with Cadillac. In previous F1 teams, they earned very large amounts; they would not sign contracts with the weakest team in the field if they did not get an appropriate salary. It is difficult to reliably estimate their earnings, so I gave a wide range of 5-10 mln $. Besides, Perez and Bottas have many personal sponsors, so they can easily double these earnings off the track.
Isack Hadjar, moving to Red Bull for the 2026 season, had to get a significant raise; based on earlier information, I estimated that the Frenchman could earn 5 mln $ this year, but I would not be surprised if his base salary is lower because Red Bull likes to pay its juniors little initially. Hadjar had no arguments to negotiate really high earnings with Red Bull.
At the bottom of the list, I placed five drivers to whom I assigned salaries at the level of 1 mln $. It cannot be ruled out that they will earn even less. This is almost always the case for young drivers; the first salary in F1 is at this level. Additionally, most young drivers in junior series were supported by F1 teams’ development programs, which cost them money. When such a driver advances to F1, he initially earns little because the F1 team compensates for earlier expenses this way.
More information about money in Formula 1, budgets, and sponsors can be found under the tag Money in F1.
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