Three F1 drivers among the highest-earning athletes in the world in 2026. Lewis Hamilton is the first F1 driver to reach $100 million in earnings in a single year. Max Verstappen is traditionally high in the ranking, and Lando Norris made his debut in it.
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Ranking of the fifty highest-earning athletes in the world 2026
Forbes’ ranking is always the best source of information regarding athletes’ earnings worldwide. It has been created for several years and is based on many sources, so the details it contains should be closest to the real amounts. Since 2021, the ranking includes the 50 highest-earning athletes; previously, it was a top 100 ranking. The current ranking was calculated for the period from May 1, 2025, to May 1, 2026. The ranking is calculated for such a time frame because most athletes on this list play in professional leagues whose seasons run from autumn to spring. For Formula 1, this does not fit well, as the season lasts throughout the calendar year. Therefore, if a driver received a raise from the next year, it is only partially counted in this ranking. Since the ranking was limited to fifty athletes, the number of representatives from motor sports has decreased.
The fifty highest-earning athletes in 2026 earned a total of $4.1 billion, slightly less than the previous year when it was $4.23 billion. To make it into the ranking, one had to earn $54.6 million, which is one million more than last year. Record revenues in the history of the ranking came from participation in advertisements and various businesses unrelated to sports, totaling $1.1 billion. Athletes earned $3 billion in the ranking from salaries from their clubs or sports achievements, which is $190 million less than last year. You can find a discussion of the ranking on the Forbes magazine website, where there are several additional curiosities.
At the top of the ranking for the fourth consecutive time is footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who earned $300 million (the previous year $275 million), thanks to a huge contract with a club in Saudi Arabia. In second place is boxer Canelo Alvarez, who earned $170 million, including $160 million for two fights fought over the last year. Third place went to footballer Lionel Messi, who received $140 million, half from his club Inter Miami, and the other half from advertisements and numerous businesses. The list is dominated by athletes from the USA or playing in US professional leagues: 20 NBA basketball players, 9 NFL football players, and three MLB baseball players. Besides that, there are seven footballers (one playing in the USA), four golfers, three F1 drivers, two boxers, and tennis players. There is no woman on the list. NBA basketball players dominate the list, which is related to the increase in the salary cap a few years ago.
The entire ranking of the fifty highest-earning athletes in the world by Forbes magazine in 2026 can be found at this link – you need to scroll down the page, where the full list is. Clicking on a name leads to a subpage with details about that athlete. Remember that all amounts in the ranking are gross earnings. Athletes have to pay taxes and commissions to their managers. Real earnings are significantly lower.
Three F1 drivers among the highest-earning athletes in the world in 2026
For the first time since Forbes has published its list of the fifty highest-earning athletes in the world, three F1 drivers are included. In the years 2022–2025, there were always two drivers in the ranking: Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. In earlier years, when the ranking included one hundred athletes, there was room for three or four F1 representatives. Hamilton has been at the top of the list for many years, and Verstappen debuted in 2021. Except for the 2024 ranking, Hamilton is regularly the highest-earning F1 driver. Two years ago, Verstappen temporarily surpassed him. The fact that Lando Norris appeared in the ranking for the 2026 season shows how valuable a world championship is. In the future, George Russell and Charles Leclerc, who currently have high base salaries and would receive very large bonuses if they win the world championship, may appear in this ranking.
F1 drivers’ earnings consist of salaries and bonuses for results as well as advertising contracts. F1 drivers do not have much freedom in obtaining advertising contracts, and their income mainly relies on earnings from teams.
Lewis Hamilton – earnings of $100 million
Lewis Hamilton made a very big jump from 22nd to 10th place in the latest earnings ranking. According to Forbes, the Briton earned $100 million, the first time in history an F1 driver earned a nine-figure amount in one year. This is a personal record for Hamilton, whose best year so far was 2021 when he earned $82 million – then he received large bonuses for many race wins and the 2020 championship title. Hamilton, Cristiano Ronaldo, and LeBron James are the only athletes over 40 on this year’s list.
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According to Forbes, Hamilton earned $70 million in salary from Ferrari and $30 million from personal sponsors. Last year, these amounts were $60 million and $20 million respectively – the salary was partly from Mercedes and partly from Ferrari. In the current ranking, only the salary from Scuderia is included. Now we see how profitable the transfer from Mercedes to Ferrari was for him. Despite the lack of success in the Italian team, he earns more money than at Mercedes in seasons where he received bonuses for numerous wins or championship titles. Hamilton already has two podiums this year and a chance for more, so his earnings should be somewhat better in next year’s race.
Hamilton greatly increased income from personal sponsors from $20 million to $30 million. According to Forbes, Hamilton has personal advertising contracts with the following companies: Dior, Electronic Arts, Fanatics, Lulemelon, RIMOWA, and Topss. Forbes did not list all his sponsors here. This category of income also includes his other businesses; for example, Hamilton invested in the Denver Broncos team and the non-alcoholic tequila producer Almave. Hamilton was also a producer of F1: Film, which brought significant profits last year, so he received his share. By moving to Ferrari, Hamilton gained greater freedom in such contracts unrelated to F1.
Max Verstappen – earnings of $86 million
Max Verstappen is again in the top ranks of the ranking. According to Forbes, he earned $78 million from Red Bull and $6 million from personal sponsors. Compared to last year, he was supposed to receive $6 million more from the team and the same amount from sponsors. I have a problem with this and it seems to me that Forbes made a mistake in their calculations. Verstappen won world championships and had many successes in recent years, so he received large bonuses from Red Bull. In the 2025 ranking, there was a decrease in earnings from the team compared to 2024, which was logical due to fewer successes. Now Forbes reports an increase, although Verstappen was not a champion in 2025, which is when the biggest bonuses are given. The Dutchman also did not sign a new contract that would explain the increase. In my opinion, Forbes overestimated or knows more about his earnings. Verstappen ranked 14th in the ranking, up from 24th in last year’s list. This is his highest position in his career, as well as his highest earnings.
Forbes states that Verstappen has sponsorship contracts with Electronic Arts, Fanatics, Ford Motor, and Heineken. In my opinion, Forbes made mistakes here and underestimated Verstappen’s income from sponsors because the Dutchman also has, for example, a contract with Viaplay, and the contract with Electronic Arts is no longer valid. Let’s also remember that a huge business has grown around Verstappen, as tickets and tours to races are sold, as well as clothing and gadgets. His income from advertising and activities outside F1 must be greater than Forbes estimated. He also has his own team competing in other series and a simracing team. If I were to estimate personally, I would give him much higher income from this category but a lower salary from the F1 team for the past year.
Lando Norris – earnings of $60 million
The debutant in the ranking is Lando Norris. Last year’s world champion, according to Forbes, earned $55 million from McLaren and $5 million from personal sponsors. Such a large salary is related to a bonus for winning the world championship. In various rankings, the Briton’s base salary is estimated at $25-30 million, so we see how large a bonus he received. This is not surprising in this case; I saw information this year that Zak Brown also received a large bonus for successes in the 2025 season. Contracts at McLaren may be structured this way. Norris ranked 34th overall, debuting at a high position.
Forbes states that Norris’s only sponsor is Ralph Lauren, which is not true. Just visit his website, where among the sponsors you will also find: PlayStation, Quadrant (a brand owned by Norris), Tumi, Hilton, Google, Pure Electric, Bell, and Uber. Lando Norris also endorses cards with his name. It seems to me that income from this category should be higher.
F1 drivers’ earnings are a secret. Specific amounts never appear, only estimates. I recommend the estimated earnings of F1 drivers in 2026 that I prepared in April. The salaries of Verstappen, Hamilton, and Norris there are much lower than Forbes states. This is because it is impossible to provide such data with 100% reliability. Additionally, I tried to estimate base salaries without bonuses for successes, while Forbes includes everything.
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