Lewis Hamilton tops F1 salary list but surprise driver sits third above Max Verstappen
LEWIS HAMILTON is the highest-paid F1 driver, according to reports.
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Hamilton penned a two-year contract extension with Mercedes last year to boost his earnings to £40million a year.
The Brit won his fifth world title while extending the Silver Arrows' dominance for a fifth consecutive season.
Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel, who has four Drivers' Championships to his name, banks almost 25 per cent less than Hamilton with £30.5m.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen is expected to challenge Hamilton and Vettel for the title this year.
But he is only banking £10m, which is substantially less than former team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.
The Australian has joined midfield outfit Renault for the upcoming campaign and he is being heavily rewarded.
The 29-year-old has been given a comparable salary to Vettel at £26.5m.
Mercedes' second driver Valtteri Botas then sits fifth with £6.5m.
At the opposite end of the scale, young Briton George Russell earns £140,000, which is slightly better than the bottom earner Alexander Albon of Toro Rosso, according to the Mirror.
The F1 season gets underway in Australia next weekend.
Hamilton is the favourite for the title to take him to within one Championship of Michael Schumacher's all-time record.
But Mercedes were behind both Ferrari and Red Bull in testing so it is set to be an intriguing race.
F1 drivers 2019 salaries
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) £40,000,000
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) £30,500,000
Daniel Ricciardo (Renault) £26,500,000
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) £10,000,000
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) £6,500,000
Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) £3,500,000
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault) £3,500,000
Carlos Sainz (McLaren) £3,000,000
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) £2,500,000
Sergio Perez (Racing Point) £2,500,000
Romain Grosjean (Haas) £1,400,000
Pierre Gasly (Red Bull) £1,000,000
Lance Stroll (Racing Point) £900,000
Kevin Magnussen (Haas) £900,000
Robert Kubica (Williams) £430,000
Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) £230,000
Lando Norris (McLaren) £200,000
Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) £175,000
George Russell (Williams) £140,000
Alexander Albon (Toro Rosso) £130,000