Ultimate Formula 1 drivers rich list ahead of Bahrain GP… & it’s the only time Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finishes third

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IT’S the most expensive sport in the world, so it’s no surprise top Formula 1 drivers boast an eye-watering bank balance.

The likes of Lewis Hamilton, Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez certainly enjoy life in the fast lane – with supercar collections, huge mansions and luxury holidays.

Forumula 1 returns this weekend with 20 drivers vying for supremacy on the grid[/caption]

This weekend sees the 2024 Formula 1 rev into gear, with 20 drivers set to battle it out for supremacy on the grid.

But the drama so far has come away from the track, when private texts sent by Red Bull boss Christian Horner to a female employee were leaked.

It has led to claims his marriage to Spice Girl Geri Halliwell is “in question” as she was left humiliated just a day after he was cleared of wrongdoing.

Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, we reveal the drivers at the top of the rich list.

Lewis Hamilton – £270.9m

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lewis is currently F1’s highest-paid driver – his contract with Mercedes nets him £41.6million each year, and he’s estimated to be worth £270.9million.

That figure is set to soar far higher, too, after it was revealed he will join Ferrari in 2025 in a shock deal worth £100million.

Lewis Hamilton is the richest F1 racer on the grid right now[/caption]

The seven-time champion is worth £270.9m and owns several properties[/caption]

The seven-time world champion has numerous endorsement deals with the likes of Puma, Sony, Police, and Tommy Hilfiger.

Hertfordshire-born Lewis, 39, is said to be raking in an additional £16.6million from these sponsorship deals.

Planet F1 reports he has an impressive private collection of supercars worth over £13million, including a Pagani Zonda, a Mercedes-AMG Project One, and a Ferrari LaFerrari, among others.

Lewis also owns a £49.1million penthouse in New York, according to GQ, and a £19.1million six-bedroom home in London.

Fernando Alonso – £216m

Fernando Alonso has been competing since 2001 and shows no signs of slowing down[/caption]

The 42-year-old owns homes in Oxford and Switzerland[/caption]

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, 42, has shown no signs of slowing down since his debut back in 2001.

Last season the Spanish star signed a new deal with Aston Martin believed to be worth around £17.8million.

He also has several sponsorship deals and owns the clothing brand Kimoa.

Savvy Alonso has also invested in private companies, said to reap him incredible rewards.

Unsurprisingly, Alonso likes his cars – he owns over 300 and some have even been put on display in the Fernando Alonso Sports Complex in Spain.

The racer owns homes in Oxford and Switzerland, as well as an apartment in a 52-storey building in Dubai.

Max Verstappen – £165m

Max’s Red Bull contract is worth over £40m a year[/caption]

He is said to have bought a private jet from Sir Richard Branson[/caption]

Reigning champion Max Verstappen has been competing in Formula 1 since 2015 and his Red Bull contract is reportedly worth £41.6million a year.

This makes him the joint-highest paid racer on the grid alongside Hamilton.

Max also benefits from lucrative deals from the likes of G-Star RAW, Red Bull, and EA Sports.

As he’s only 26, industry experts predict his estimated £165million fortune will soar in the coming years.

Max is said to have bought a private jet from Sir Richard Branson worth £11million, which costs over £830,000 to maintain.

Complete F1 2024 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix and start time this year

Sergio Perez – £62.4m

Sergio is worth over £62.4m and owns a huge property in Mexico[/caption]

He lives a luxurious lifestyle of private jets and lavish holidays[/caption]

Sergio, 34, may not be the highest-paid driver on the grid, but he’s been amassing an impressive fortune since his debut in 2011.

His estimated £62.4million net worth, which includes an £8.3million salary from Red Bull, makes him one of the richest athletes in the world.

The Mexican also has investments and an incredible list of endorsement deals, including Ticel, Telmox, and Claro.

Checo reportedly owns a multi-million dollar 15,000-square-foot mansion in Mexico and supercars including a Bugatti Chiron, which cost around £2million.

Daniel Ricciardo – £41.6m

In 2020, Daniel was among the world’s highest-paid athletes, according to Forbes[/caption]

He has no problem showing off his impressive wealth on social media[/caption]

He may be driving for the rebranded RB team this year, but Australian Daniel has eight Grand Prix wins and 32 podiums under his belt, and an estimated £41.6m fortune.

After being tied to Red Bull for five years, he signed a lucrative deal with Renault in 2020, which bagged him a mention on Forbes’ top 50 highest sports people that year.

The 34-year-old doesn’t shy away from showing off his incredible wealth – he reportedly owns three properties across three continents.

Daniel also owns supercars including a Porsche 918 Spyder and an Aston Martin Valkyrie, said to have cost a staggering £3million.

Lance Stroll – £41.6m

Lance’s career in F1 has netted him a fortune of £41.6m[/caption]

The Canadian’s father is worth a whopping £2.4billion[/caption]

Lance, 25, would sit at the top of the list if his family’s wealth was taken into consideration – his dad Lawrence, who owns Aston Martin, has an estimated net worth of over £2.4billion.

The driver isn’t doing too badly for himself either, as he takes home a whopping £8.3million each year from the team.

When he’s not busy racing, Lance enjoys mountain biking, skiing, and surfing. He is dating Italian model Sara Pagliaroli.

Carlos Sainz – £37million

The Spanish ace is paid a reported £9.5m a year by Ferrari, who he joined in 2021 after successful stints with Renault and McLaren.

But the 29-year-old is set to leave after this season, to be replaced by Lewis Hamilton.

Endorsements include Playstation, lager brand Estrella and German helmet manufacturer Schuberth.

Away from the track he still feels the need for speed and his luxury car collection includes a McLaren 720S worth £800k and a £750K Ferrari 812.

Time is of the essence too – with a high end watch collection worth millions, including a Roger Dubuis timepiece worth USD £205,000 and a Franck Muller watch worth £200,000.

Charles Leclerc – £32m

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc gets ready ahead of the third practice session of Bahrain[/caption]

Born and bred in Monaco, Leclerc lives a glam life away from the track.

Having risen up the ranks, his salary at Ferrari is reportedly £29million.

The 26-year-old has a £1.5million yacht called Monza, which he enjoys the playboy lifestyle on with pals.

Ferrari even reportedly provide him and team-mate Carlos Sainz with a private jet that costs £18,000-per-hour to privately charter.

WHO COULD REPLACE HAMILTON AT MERCEDES?

Mercedes will have a vacant seat for 2025.

Here, SunSport’s F1 correspondent Ben Hunt looks at FIVE potential candidates who could replace him and partner George Russell in the Silver Arrows.

Oscar Piastri – McLaren have sewn up Lando Norris to a new long-term contract that should (in theory) put him out of Mercedes’ reach. However, they are yet to tie down his teammate Piastri, 22. The Aussie has an excellent record and won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles before spending a year on the sidelines with Alpine and getting his chance in F1 with McLaren. He impressed on his debut season last year and has the potential to be a world champion.

Daniel Ricciardo – The experienced driver’s future remains in doubt as he bides his time at Red Bull’s B-team. Ricciardo would be low-hassle and offer some stability but by that time he would be 35. It seems unlikely that they would opt for him at this point in his career, but if he has a good season this year, he could come into the reckoning.

Kimi Antonelli – You may not have heard of the Italian, but he is mustard. Still only 17, he has won at all the junior categories and has been part of the Mercedes young driver programme since 2019. This season he has been promoted from F4 to F2, where he has been tipped to shine. A good debut season in F2 could sway Mercedes into taking a risk on him for 2025. Antonelli and his family are close to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Mick Schumacher – Wolff has always been so incredibly supportive of Schumacher and spoken highly of him, that you’d at least expect him to come into consideration. He knows the team from his role as reserve driver and consequently would get up to speed. But speed is also the problem. He was shocking at Haas and if he really was THAT good, he’d still be driving in F1.

Alex Albon – A more-sensible choice would be the London-born Albon. A great guy who is also very quick. He has a fantastic relationship with Russell and would be the low-maintenance quick partnership similar to Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas that swept to successive titles. Albon would take little convincing to join from Williams and Mercedes would not need to pay him half of the £50million they were dishing out to Hamilton.

Pierre Gasly – £27.4m

Pierre Gasly races for Alpine[/caption]

Pierre, 28, who made his debut in 2017, drives for Alpine and comes from a family heavily involved in motorsports.

His salary is reported to be £1.6million, which excludes performance bonuses and sponsorship deals that bring his estimated net worth up to £27.4million.

Pierre’s brand partnerships include headphone brand Blomm and Berger, The Grid, Destination Grand Prix, and Crypto Gaming.

He is said to be dating Italian Caterina Masetti Zannini, who shares many of her lavish trips with Pierre on Instagram.

Valtteri Bottas – £25m

Valtteri takes home £8.6m a year from his deal[/caption]

He was previously Lewis Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes and took home a quarter of his salary[/caption]

Although he spent much of his career as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas, 34, was only making a quarter of the English driver’s salary.

He now races for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, making up to £8.6million a year, and is one of the competition’s most popular stars.

He has a partnership with Finnish sporting company Polar, and is sponsored by locking solutions company Abloy and a private jet company called Insijets.

Valtteri is currently dating Australian road cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, and has an estimated net worth of £25million.

Lando Norris – £24m

Brit Lando doesn’t actually own his own car[/caption]

Lando Norris was born in into wealth through dad Adam – who amassed a £205million fortune – and mum Cisca from Belgium.

But astonishingly, for someone so well off, the 24-year-old doesn’t actually own a car.

As is one of the perks of the job, McLaren has loaned him several over the years.

Speaking to Scott Mills and Chris Stark on their BBC Sounds podcast, however, he confessed he is not materialistic.

Lando said: “I don’t own many things. I’ve not really treated myself.”

Kevin Magnussen – £20.8m

Kevin returned to Haas when Russian driver Nikita Mazepin was dropped[/caption]

K-Mag made his return to Formula 1 after Russian driver Nikita Mazepin’s contract was terminated by Haas just a few days before the 2022 season.

Although he impressed with his debut in 2014, his form dipped in subsequent years.

The 31-year-old will be keen to prove why he’s been able to amass a reported net worth of £20.8million.

His £5million salary at Haas is topped up by endorsement deals believed to be worth over £800,000.

Esteban Ocon – £14.9m

Ocon has been racing at F1 since 2016 and takes home £4.1m from Alpine[/caption]

Despite being only 27, Esteban Ocon has impressed fans since his debut in 2016.

He has raced for Force India, Racing Point, Alpine, and was a test driver for Mercedes back in 2019.

Although he earns a £4.1million salary at Alpine, his long tenure in Formula One and endorsement deals with the likes of Microsoft, Bell and Castrol have given him a hefty estimated net worth of £14.9millon.

The Frenchman reportedly owns a Mercedes AMG GTR, a Mercedes AMG C63 Edition 1, and an Alpine A110S.