Max Verstappen has been named the highest-paid Formula One driver for the year 2023, dethroning Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen earned $70 million after a record-breaking season in which he broke the records for most wins (19), most consecutive wins (10) and most points scored (575), according to Forbes.
After winning 86.4 percent of the events in 2023, the three-time World Champion set a new record for the highest percentage of victories in a season.
This smashed Alberto Ascari’s previous record of 75%, which had stood since 1952.
Verstappen earned $70 million in strictly F1 earnings in 2023, with $25 million in bonuses and a salary of $45 million.
Verstappen earned $15 million more than Hamilton, who did not receive a performance bonus from Mercedes despite failing to win a single race and falling far short of winning the championship.
Hamilton finished five positions and 59 points above of George Russell as the top Mercedes driver in 2023, but he was still 341 points behind Verstappen.
The seven-time World Champion came dangerously close to breaking his winless record, which began with the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in the United States.
Even if Hamilton had beaten Verstappen to victory at the Circuit of the Americas, he would have been disqualified after the race.
Hamilton’s salary alone earned him $55 million in 2023.
Fernando Alonso, the two-time World Champion, was the third highest-paid driver, earning $34 million in his debut season with Aston Martin.
Alonso received $10 million in bonuses for collecting eight podiums in the recently ended season.
Sergio Perez was the fourth highest-paid driver in 2023, earning $26 million, with bonuses totaling more than his base wage.
According to Forbes, the Mexican driver is paid $10 million, which is $6 million less than the $16 million he received in bonuses.
