Max Verstappen has moved ahead of his Formula 1 rival Lewis Hamilton as the sport's highest earner, according to financial experts Forbes.
The Dutchman has been almost entirely dominant in 2022, winning 15 of 22 races on the way to his second world title. It was a much more simple route to the title this time around, compared to his heavyweight slugfest with Hamilton in 2021 which went right down to the wire.
Of the two, Hamilton has the highest base salary with Forbes estimating the Brit to earn £45.6m per year. But he gets no bonuses on top of that, while Verstappen does. The Red Bull racer's £33.2m is augmented by £16.6m in bonuses earned in 2022, putting him ahead of the Mercedes star in total earnings.
Both drivers have business interests outside of F1. Verstappen owns his own racing team which competes in both physical and virtual championships. And Hamilton is involved in a wide range of projects, from his stake in NFL side the Denver Broncos to his TV production company and Extreme E team X44.
Despite being out-earned by Verstappen in 2022, he could quite conceivably take back top spot on Forbes' list next year. The seven-time world champion is set to sign a new contract with Mercedes during the off-season, which could see him earn a salary bump or bonus clauses inserted into it.
Unsurprisingly, Verstappen and Hamilton are comfortably clear of the rest of the drivers on the grid when it comes to earnings from F1. Fernando Alonso is third on the list but a long way off the top two, having earned a £24.9m base salary with Alpine.
Sergio Perez is fourth on the list, with Red Bull paying their other driver a base salary of £8.3m but also forking out an extra £13.3m in bonuses. Charles Leclerc is one place behind with £19.1m in total earnings, ahead of Sebastian Vettel who retires having earned £14.1m in his final year.
Daniel Ricciardo took home the same figure as the German, which was more than the £12.4m raked in by Carlos Sainz. Brits Lando Norris and George Russell round off the top 10 with total earnings of £9.1m and £8.3m respectively.
Explaining how they came to the totals published, Forbes said: "The estimates are based on financial documents, legal filings and press leaks as well as conversations with industry insiders and are rounded to the nearest million. Drivers typically receive a base salary plus bonuses for points scored or for race or championship wins, with the amount depending on the size of the team and the experience of the driver."
