F1 Driver Salaries: How much Hamilton, Verstappen & co earn in 2026

F1 drivers' elite skill and willingness to risk it all are rewarded by their teams, with each outfit able to offer their drivers as much as they want without affecting the cost cap.

The enhanced spending power of the biggest teams in the sport is why the best drivers tend to find themselves at one of the big four teams of Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull or McLaren at some stage in their career.

Driver salaries change year-on-year, even within the same contract, as multi-year deals often include some sort of pay rise as the years go on.

Max Verstappen remains the highest-paid F1 driver in 2026, with Lewis Hamilton second, although of course that does not necessarily mean that they earn the most, with all drivers these days having bonuses and a plethora of sponsors that will also be paying them money, not to mention if they own their own businesses away from the track.

But, what does an F1 driver's pay packet look like for an average month? What's their base salary? Keep reading to find out!

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How much do F1 drivers earn in 2026?

Here are the base salaries of F1 drivers, as reported by multiple credible sources, excluding any performance-based bonuses, team bonuses, and personal sponsors with brands.

Does the F1 budget cap affect driver salaries?

Quite simply, it doesn't.

As mentioned, driver salaries are kept separate from the budget cap. Indeed the salaries of the three highest-paid employees are exempt, which in virtually all cases will include the team principals as well.

Other items which are kept exempt include marketing costs and utility bills incurred by the teams.

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