THE salaries for all 20 Formula One stars have been revealed, with Lewis Hamilton the top earner on a truly staggering £42million a year.
Mercedes star Hamilton – who tops the Sunday Times’ Rich List – earns well over TWICE as much as every other F1 driver except Sebastian Vettel.
The German, who picked Michael Schumacher over Hamilton in the GOAT debate, takes in £37m per year – with the lowest earners pocketing just £175,000.
It’s a massive jump down to third place though, with Daniel Ricciardo way back on £16m.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, still just 23, is the only other star to break the £10m per season barrier, on £14m.
And just seven other racers, including Carlos Sainz and Kimi Raikkonen, earn over £1m a year – with Vettel’s current Ferrari pal Charles LeClerc earning £8m.
The remaining nine racers all pocket between £175,000 and £900,000 per season.
Williams pair George Russell and Nicholas Latifi – along with Alfa Romeo racer Antonio Giovinazzi – are the joint-lowest earners.
McLaren youngster Lando Norris is not much higher either, on £200,000 per season.
Hamilton, 35, recently equalled Schumacher’s record of 91 F1 wins with his victory in the Eifel GP.
But he hit out at legends of the sport who have a ‘bee in their bonnet’ over who can be called the sport’s best ever.
British legend Sir Jackie Stewart said it was ‘hard to justify’ calling Hamilton the greatest.
But the Stevenage-born superstar said: “I don’t think you should knock anybody for the way you do things. I get knocked by many people, particularly older drivers.
“They still have a bee in their bonnet, I don’t know why, maybe they’ll get over it one day.
“I have so much respect for the past legends, even though they do continue to talk negatively about me all the time.
“But I still hold them in high regard as I know it was so difficult at a different time in history, it was incredibly tough for them, they remain the legends.”
Lewis Hamilton is a six-time F1 world championCredit: PA:Press Association
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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
