F1 stars Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen DWARFED by Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo

F1 Off The Track

F1 stars Hamilton and Verstappen DWARFED by Messi & Ronaldo

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen's salary has been revealed

Neil Walton

Saturday 15 February 2025 12:57

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Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are arguably the two biggest names in Formula 1 but they have been dwarfed by two footballers in a new list of sporting earnings.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both eclipsed the F1 pair in 2024, according to Sportico’s top-100 roster.

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Messi banked $60million in salary from current club Inter Miami and added a staggering $75million in endorsements to take fourth spot on the list (£107million total).

However, Ronaldo topped the other 99 athletes featured thanks to his mega-bucks salary of $215million, paid to him by Saudi Arabian football club Al-Nassr, plus $45million in endorsements (£207million).

Max Verstappen is among F1's highest earners

Hamilton and Verstappen make top-25 highest-paid athletes

While Hamilton and Verstappen may not require a wallet of Ronaldo’s size, the duo are handsome earners in their own right.

Verstappen is listed as the 18th best-paid sportsperson (£60million), considering his $70million salary and $6million endorsements.

Hamilton, meanwhile, ranks 22nd courtesy of his $41.1million wage and a $19million chunk of endorsements (£47million).

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were F1's highest earners in 2024

Boxing megastar Tyson Fury and golfing genius Rory McIlroy beat Hamilton to the title of best-paid Brit, their respective totals of $147million (£117million) and $79.8million (£59million) placing them in third and 17th.

Hamilton and Verstappen were the only F1 drivers in the top 100, which features no female athletes.

Overall, the top 100 earned an estimated $6.2billion (£4billion), spelling a 14% increase from 2023’s list.

All figures earned are before tax and other deductions.