After years of dominating the number one spot, Lewis Hamilton has lost his title of being the highest-paid Formula 1 driver in 2022, with his fierce rival claiming the throne.
According to data from Forbes and insight from data firm Formula Money, Max Verstappen was the highest-paid competitor last season in the pinnacle of motorsport, something which is perhaps unsurprising given his dominance.
2022 was truly an incredible season for the 25-year-old, who cruised to a second consecutive World Championship, moving his name higher up the list of all-time greats of the sport.
He claimed the Drivers’ Championship with relative ease, partly thanks to setting a new record for most wins in a single season and most points scored in a campaign.
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Verstappen claimed 15 victories from the 22 races in 2022, whilst also accumulating a record-breaking 454 points, further highlighting his dominance.
Dominance, understandably, comes with a very nice bonus to go with it, with the Red Bull driver having reportedly earned $20 million in bonuses alone, with his base salary being $40 million.
Based on this, it’s reported that Verstappen made $60 million in 2022, moving him above Hamilton.
Hamilton is believed to have only made $55 million, meaning that whilst he does still have the highest base salary by some margin, he drops behind Verstappen having supposedly not been paid a performance bonus.
Given that he hasn’t won a race or a championship this season, it isn’t a surprise to see it reported that the seven-time World Champion hasn’t been given a bonus, but does he really need it!
Combined, Verstappen and Hamilton made a reported $115 million; that’s more than the 5th-10th placed highest-paid drivers combined.
Fernando Alonso was the third highest-paid driver in 2022, with the 41-year-old seemingly having cost Alpine a pretty penny for his services.
The double World Champion made $30 million last year, with it set to be seen if his base salary will be even higher at Aston Martin.
Sergio Pérez came fourth, with the Mexican having been paid a bigger bonus than a base salary.
The Mexican is supposedly on a base salary of $10 million, whilst he’s believed to have been paid a $16 million bonus.
His large bonus is presumably as a result of having won two races in 2022, whilst Red Bull also claimed their first Constructors’ Championship since 2013; alas, it’s interesting to note that Verstappen’s bonus was only $4 million higher.
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Charles Leclerc was the fifth highest-paid, with his base salary of $12 million, plus $11 million in bonuses, having sealed the Monegasque an overall $23 million paycheck for his most successful campaign.
Interestingly, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo were joint-sixth, having been paid a base salary of $15 million and $2 million in bonuses, meaning they each earned a very respectable $17 million reportedly in 2022.
Remainder of the top 10:
8. Carlos Sainz – $8 million salary, $7 million bonus.
9. Lando Norris – $5 million salary, $6 million bonus.
10. George Russell – $3 million salary, $7 million bonus.