MAX VERSTAPPEN TOPS THE F1 RICH LIST – AGAIN

Max Verstappen earned an estimated $118 million on the way to his fourth Formula One world championship with Red Bull Racing in 2024.

The four-time title winner finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who took home an estimated $89 million despite only finishing seventh with Mercedes-AMG, while championship runner-up Lando Norris at McLaren banked an estimated $55 million.

It's the third straight year that Verstappen has topped the F1 earnings, but his reign will end next year as Hamilton banks an estimated $200 million for switching to Ferrari on a two-year deal.

The salary figures for the grand prix stars are a combination of their base salary and bonuses and were compiled by Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettknight/2024/12/10/formula-1s-highest-paid-drivers-2024/

Winning two races and finishing fourth in the championship paid off for Australia's Oscar Piastri, who pocketed an estimated $34.5 million for the year – a massive increase from his rookie salary of 'only' $2 million in 2023.

The total salary for the grand prix grid was an estimated $497 million, up by nearly 25 per cent over 2023, but does not include personal endorsements.

Behind the top three on the rich list, Fernando Alonso earned $43.5 million with Aston Martin, just ahead of Charles Leclerc from Ferrari on $42 million, then George Russell of Mercedes-AMG on $36 million and Piastri in seventh.

Rounding out the Top 10 were Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing ($30.5m), Carlos Sainz of Ferrari ($30m) and Pierre Gasly of Alpine ($19m ).