Formula One has dominated all other car racing events and it is now one of the most followed event across the globe. Thus, brands have utilized this industry for promotion purposes and are signing endorsements deals with the big names and are paying huge figures to them. Resultantly, there is a solid increment in the racers’ net worth. Here are the complete details about the top 10 popular F1 drivers with most expensive sponsorship deals.
F1 Drivers With Most Expensive Sponsorship Deals
#1 : Lewis Hamilton : $15m
The man who has severely impacted the Formula One world has is on the top of list. Lewis Hamilton, professional F1 racer from United Kingdom is one of the greatest racers of all times history. He is currently the highest paid racer with the annual salary of $49 million as per the contract with Mercedes. Hamilton has won the F1 championship 7 times throughout his career. Thus, he is one of the most marketable racer and is holing multi-million dollar deals with known brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Monster Energy, and Puma.
2 – Max Verstappen: $6 Million
Just behind Lewis Hamilton is the British-Dutch racer. Max Verstappen has started his professional career in 2015 and with the passage of time, his performance improved much. His fame gets a boost after winning the 2021 and 2022 season consecutively. Currently, he is holding the contract deal with Red Bull until 2028 which brings him $53 million. Moreover, his sponsorships are one of the major source of his income. Verstappen is currently holding the endorsements deal with multiple brands including the likes of Jumbo Supermarkets, Ziggo, Red Bull, G-Star Raw, and CarNext.com which made him earn $6 million as per reported.
3 – Carlos Sainz: $3.7 Million
Carlos Sainz is present at number 3 in the list as he is one of the best in business for his incredible fan following. That’s why, he is earning massive from the contract deal as well as from the endorsement earnings. Since beginning of his career in 2015, Sainz has not won any single championship but his performance is getting better and better. He is holding endorsements deals with Estrella Galicia, PlayStation, and Shiseido Men which makes him earn an extra $3.7 million.
4 – Sergio Perez: $3.2 Million
The Mexican racing professional is one of the experienced driver who has started his career in 2011. So far, he is not able to win the championship. However, his best came in 2022 season which proved a solid improvement in his performance. Sergio Perez is currently racing for the Red Bull and banking the base salary of $6.5 million. Moreover, multiple sponsors are also backing him including Claro, Telcel and Telmex, bringing an additional $3.2 million to his account.
5 – Charles Leclerc: $2 Million
The player who has impressed the Formula One fans in the 2022 season is also present in the list as he is earning $2 million from the endorsements. Charles Leclerc has finished the 2022 season at number 2 just behind the Max Verstappen. He is currently racing for Ferrari and is holding one of the expensive contract with the team paying him $10 million for a single season. Richard Mille, Scuderia Ferrari and Giorgio Armani are among the major sponsors of Monegasque racing driver.
6 – Fernando Alonso: $1 Million
The Spanish F1 driver Fernando Alonso is currently competing for the Aston Martin as he ended his contract deal with Alpine-Renault after 2022 season. He is one of the most marketable racer and pocketing good figures from the sponsorships and endorsements. Alonso current contract deal with known brands Citibank, Pirelli and Kimoa makes him pocket $1 million on annual basis besides the F1 contract salary.
7 : George Russell: $1 Million
The British racer has not performed well since his debut in Formula One in 2019 till 2022 where he finished the season at number 4. George Russell is extremely talenteed and has shown excellent racing skills in his career at FIA Formula 2 Championship and GP3 Series where he became the champion. Now, he is looking to carry his performance in the upcoming seasons of F1 while racing for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. His brand value has also increased and grabbing $1 million from the sponsorships.
8 – Valtteri Bottas: $700k
Although he has not won any championship in Formula One since his debut in 2013, Valtteri Bottas is one of the highest paid racer currently active. He is currently playing for Alpha Romeo and has signed multiyear deal for the base salary of $6 million. Bottas has shown some best performances in F1 as he finished as runner up twice in 2019 and 2020 season. He is currently endorsed by Assa Abloy, Polar and InsiJets which add $700k to his bank annually.
9 : Sebastian Vettel: $500k
After starting his career in 2007, Sebastian Vettel won the first championship of his career in 2010. He ruled the F1 world by winning the 4 seasons consecutively. However, his performance went down in the later stages of his career. He finished the 2021 and 2022 season at number 12 which is not his best. Still, he is holding expensive sponsorship deal with Red Bull and pocketing $500k from his total endorsements.
