The talent of the drivers who compete at the highest level is rewarded on the track, but also in the income that each of them receives at the end of the season, depending on the agreement that their skills allow them to close.
Competing in the premier category of motorsport entails all a series of expenses that not any team that focuses on Formula 1 can afford, thus establishing profitability as a utopia for many brands that would welcome entering the ‘Great Circus’ but, however, move away when they realize the costs that this entails.
The phase-out of the MGU-H won’t come to F1 until 2026, a point in time many companies have marked on their respective calendars to review their long-term plans and then try to get into the sport at a significantly lower price and with somewhat less demanding technical limitations.
The Formula 1 grid will have up to four world champions in his edition of 2022: Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel. Precisely these drivers are the ones who will top the list of the highest paid, with the recently crowned Verstappen 15 million behind his archenemy Hamilton.
conspicuous disparity
The greatest difference between teammates in this regard is experienced by the Alfa Romeo drivers, with a Valtteri Bottas who, despite leaving the current world champion team, sees his salary practically unchanged compared to 2021 and will receive ten times what his main rival Guanyu Zhou.
On his arrival at Mercedes, George Russell will pocket an eighth of what Lewis Hamilton receives, while Pierre Gasly will earn almost seven times what a Yuki Tsunoda enters, who stands out as the only driver on the grid that will not reach the figure of 1 million dollars.
The situation is more equitable in teams like Ferrari or Haas, with Carlos Sainz two million behind Charles Leclerc although #55’s contract ends at the end of the year and, depending on his work on the track, the man from Madrid will be able to negotiate a renewal with Mattia Binotto to improve his conditions.