​How much money do Formula 1 drivers make in 2026? Estimates put the range anywhere from around half a million dollars a season for a rookie to upwards of $75 million for the best-paid names on the grid. None of it is official, since F1 does not publish driver pay, so every figure in this article is an outside estimate, attributed to whoever produced it and dated to when they did.The best-paid driver in F1 right now is estimated at more than $75 million a season, according to Forbes’ most recent ranking, with a handful of others clearing $25 million.A rookie on the 2026 grid is estimated to earn as little as $500,000 to $1 million, a gap of well over a hundred times the top of the market.Driver pay, along with the three highest-paid non-driver staff at each team, sits entirely outside Formula 1’s $215 million team cost cap.How Much Do F1 Drivers Make In 2026?The top of the market is a small cluster clearing $30 million a season. Forbes put Max Verstappen at $76 million for 2025 in a December 2025 ranking, split as $65 million in salary and $11 million in bonuses. Lewis Hamilton followed at $70.5 million, almost all of it fixed salary.Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, both at McLaren, sat at $57.5 million and $37.5 million respectively, and Charles Leclerc at $30 million.The midfield band runs roughly $6 million to $27 million. Forbes puts Fernando Alonso at $26.5 million and George Russell at $26 million.GiveMeSport’s broader grid estimate, published in January 2026 and updated in June, puts Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz around $13 to $13.5 million each, Kimi Antonelli near $12.5 million, Pierre Gasly around $12 million, Alex Albon around $8 million and Nico Hulkenberg around $7 million.The rookie and backmarker floor sits well below that. GiveMeSport estimates Esteban Ocon around $6 million, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Isack Hadjar around $5 million each, Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson around $3 million each, and Gabriel Bortoleto and Oliver Bearman around $2 million each. Arvid Lindblad, the grid’s only rookie for 2026, sits at an estimated $500,000 to $1 million.Who Is The Highest Paid F1 Driver?By Forbes’ most recent count, published in December 2025 and updated the following month, Max Verstappen is the highest-paid driver on the grid, at an estimated $76 million for the 2025 season. Lewis Hamilton sits close behind at $70.5 million, notable for being almost entirely fixed salary rather than performance bonuses, a different shape of deal to Verstappen’s.Behind that pair, Lando Norris at $57.5 million and Oscar Piastri at $37.5 million round out the top four, both McLaren drivers whose totals lean heavily on bonuses earned through a strong 2025 season. Charles Leclerc, at an estimated $30 million, completes the top five.Hamilton’s Ferrari retainer is only part of a financial picture spanning endorsements and business ventures that runs well past his on-track pay.What Does Every F1 Driver Earn In 2026?Red Bull pairs Max Vers