Published estimates put Max Verstappen’s 2025 base salary at $65 million, Lewis Hamilton’s at $60 million, Lando Norris’s at $20 million and Oscar Piastri’s at $6 million. A later Forbes estimate that includes performance bonuses gives a different picture: Verstappen at $76 million, Hamilton at $70.5 million, Norris at $57.5 million and Piastri at $37.5 million. Neither set is a confirmed disclosure of the drivers’ contracts.
Estimated 2025 F1 salaries at a glance
The two published lists use different definitions and were produced at different points in the season. RacingNews365’s figures are early-season estimates of annual base salary. Forbes’ post-season estimates combine salary and performance bonuses.
| Driver | Team in source | RacingNews365 base salary estimate Published February 1, 2025 |
Forbes salary estimate Post-season |
Forbes estimated bonuses | Forbes salary plus bonuses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | $65 million | $65 million | $11 million | $76 million |
| Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | $60 million | $70 million | $0.5 million | $70.5 million |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | $20 million | $18 million | $39.5 million | $57.5 million |
| Oscar Piastri | McLaren | $6 million | $10 million | $27.5 million | $37.5 million |
RacingNews365 described its February 1 figures as estimates based on conversations with sources in the F1 paddock. It counted annual base income and excluded team bonuses and personal sponsorships. Forbes published its ranking on December 9, 2025, updated it on January 8, 2026, and reported estimated salary plus bonuses. Forbes rounds its estimates to the nearest half-million. RacingNews365’s 2025 salary estimates; Forbes’ 2025 highest-paid drivers ranking.
Why the rankings change when bonuses are included
On RacingNews365’s base-salary estimates, Verstappen leads the four drivers, followed by Hamilton, Norris and Piastri. Forbes’ estimated salary-plus-bonus totals keep Verstappen first and Hamilton second, but Norris’s large estimated bonus moves him ahead of Hamilton’s base salary figure in the combined-earnings comparison, while Piastri’s bonuses lift his total substantially above his February base estimate.
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Forbes estimated bonuses of $39.5 million for Norris and $27.5 million for Piastri, compared with $11 million for Verstappen and $0.5 million for Hamilton. The publications do not provide the contractual formulas or individual clauses behind those bonus estimates, so the figures should not be used to infer exactly how a driver earns a bonus.
These are estimates, not disclosed contract amounts
Neither RacingNews365 nor Forbes presents these amounts as contract figures confirmed by the drivers or their teams. RacingNews365 labels its early-season numbers estimates; Forbes says few F1 driver salaries are publicly available and describes its figures as estimates. Forbes says it developed its on-track compensation estimates with Forbes.com contributor Caroline Reid, a member of data firm Formula Money, drawing on financial documents, legal filings, press reports and conversations with industry insiders. Forbes’ methodology and ranking.
The February and post-season lists are therefore not two official readings of the same contract. They are separate estimates with different publication dates and scopes: one reports base salary before the season was complete, and the other estimates salary plus bonuses after it. Where the estimates differ, that does not establish that a contract changed or that either source has revealed a precise contractual amount.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the Forbes totals do—and do not—measure
Forbes’ figures concern estimated on-track compensation. They exclude endorsement and other off-track income, and Forbes does not subtract taxes or agents’ fees. The reported totals are therefore neither a measure of total personal income nor take-home pay. A driver’s sponsorship deals, tax position and expenses cannot be derived from these salary estimates. Forbes’ explanation of its estimates.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →For broader context, Forbes estimated that its top ten highest-paid drivers combined for $363 million in 2025, up 15% from its $317 million estimate for 2024. That is a top-ten total, not the combined earnings of Verstappen, Hamilton, Norris and Piastri alone.
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