Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
The 22 Formula 1 drivers on the 2026 grid are among some of the highest-paid athletes on the planet, so F1 Oversteer have taken a look at all of their contracts as of this season.
The pinnacle of motorsport can offer huge financial benefits and lucrative deals to the select few who make it to the grid. However, some are paid more than others, depending on the team they race for and how successful they are.
Some drivers have to find significant backing from sponsors to find a seat in F1, which can also make up the majority of their earnings. Very few make the big numbers, but those who do are among the highest-paid sports stars in the world.
Which drivers can count themselves LUCKY to be on the 2026 F1 grid?
Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari from Mercedes in 2025 made him one of the highest-paid athletes of all time. Only Max Verstappen of Red Bull receives a bigger yearly salary than the seven-time champion.
Other drivers recently signed new long-term deals, such as 2025 champion Lando Norris, who is now one of the best-paid drivers on the grid, while some are at risk of leaving the sport in 2026 as their current deals expire.
With that in mind, F1 Oversteer have looked at all the figures of the 2026 drivers’ contracts, how much they are paid yearly and when they are due to expire…
McLaren: Lando Norris
- Contract until: Multi-year contract (End of 2028, option for 2029)
- Yearly salary: Estimated £43.4 million ($57.5 million)
Norris has spent his entire F1 career with McLaren, having joined the team in 2019. He has stuck by the Woking outfit, which was rewarded with the 2025 Drivers’ Championship, the first McLaren driver to win it since Hamilton in 2008.
The Brit extended his McLaren contract in 2024 until, reportedly, at least the end of 2028, with the option of a further year. Norris received a base salary of roughly £13.6m, totalling £43.4m (or $57.5m) with add-ons and bonuses, making him the third-highest-paid driver on the grid.
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McLaren: Oscar Piastri
- Contract until: End of 2028
- Yearly salary: Estimated £28.3 million ($37.5 million)
Teammate Oscar Piastri also recently renewed his contract with McLaren, signing until at least the end of 2028 in 2025. The Aussie joined the team in 2023, achieving his first win in the Qatar Sprint that same year, and his maiden Grand Prix win in the 2024 Hungarian GP.
Piastri, who now earns a base salary of £7.5m, rising to 28.3m with bonuses, fought for the championship in 2025, winning seven races across the year and leading the standings for 15 race weekends. However, he came up short by 13 points to Norris, finishing third.
Mercedes: George Russell
- Contract until: Multi-year contract
- Yearly salary: Estimated £19.6 million ($26 million)
George Russell assumed the role of team leader at Mercedes after Hamilton made the move to Ferrari. The Brit was at risk of losing his seat at the end of 2025, but two wins and P4 in the standings landed him a new contract for 2026.
The length of the deal is understood to be a 1+1 deal based on performance. With a £19.6m annual salary and Mercedes having the fastest car on the grid in 2026, a title fight will surely be enough to keep him at the Silver Arrows.
Mercedes: Kimi Antonelli
- Contract until: Multi-year contract (Reportedly until 2029)
- Yearly salary: Estimated £9.4 million ($12.5 million)
Rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli was also under pressure to keep his seat beyond 2025. Toto Wolff kept faith in the Italian, despite a difficult debut season that saw him score points 14 times, and offered a new long-term contract, with Antonelli reportedly tied down until 2029.
With this new lucrative deal, the 19-year-old enjoys a significant salary increase from 2025, going from £3.73m to £9.4m, including bonuses, in 2026. With the W17’s technical innovations, Antonelli has a real chance of the title this season.
Red Bull: Max Verstappen
- Contract until: End of 2028
- Yearly salary: Estimated £57.4 million ($76 million)
Contracted until 2028 at Red Bull, Verstappen is the highest-paid driver on the grid, with an overall salary of £57.4m, or $76m. The Dutchman joined the Milton Keynes outfit in 2016 after one year at Toro Rosso, and went on to win four consecutive titles from 2021 to 2024.
In 2026, the 28-year-old will have a chance to leave the team if he wishes. Verstappen can activate an exit clause to leave Red Bull if he does not like the new technical regulations and is not in the top two of the Drivers’ Championship.
Red Bull: Isack Hadjar
- Contract until: End of 2026
- Yearly salary: Estimated £3.8 million ($5 million)
Isack Hadjar becomes the seventh different driver to partner with Verstappen at Red Bull since 2018, getting promoted from Racing Bulls to replace Yuki Tsunoda in 2026.
Like his last two predecessors, the Frenchman only signed a one-year contract with Red Bull until the end of 2026. However, a move to the senior team brings a huge salary increase, from just under £400,000 to up to £3.8m, including bonuses.
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc
- Contract until: End of 2029
- Yearly salary: Estimated £27.7 million ($30 million)
Charles Leclerc has been Ferrari’s golden talent since he joined the team in 2019. They wasted little time in tying down the Monegasque driver in 2024 on a deal until the end of the 2029 season.
Leclerc earns a salary of £27.7m a season with no bonuses after a difficult run of form in the championship. He scored seven podiums in 2025, but could not stand on the top step of the podium as Ferrari went winless last year.
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Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton
- Contract until: End of 2027
- Yearly salary: Estimated £53.2 million ($70.5 million)
The seven-time world champion had a tough first year in Maranello in 2025, scoring no podiums for the first time in a calendar year. But in 2026, Hamilton is hoping to have a better campaign, with the new regulations being more suited to his driving style.
Contracted until the end of the 2027 season, the 41-year-old is the second-highest-paid driver on the grid, with a yearly salary of £53.2m, or $70.5m. Hamilton only earns around £377k in bonuses with Ferrari.
Williams: Alex Albon
- Contract until: End of 2027
- Yearly salary: Estimated £6 million ($8 million)
Alex Albon has helped guide Williams from the back of the grid to towards the midfield since he joined the team in 2022. His 73 points helped propel the Grove outfit to fifth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2025.
Albon is reportedly contracted at Williams until 2027, earning £6m per season. After James Vowles sacrificed most of the development in 2025 in favour of the 2026 regulations, he will be hoping for another strong season.
Williams: Carlos Sainz
- Contract until: End of 2026 (Options for 2027 and 2028)
- Yearly salary: Estimated £9.8 million ($13 million)
Following Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari, Carlos Sainz was forced to move teams in the paddock for 2025. With multiple offers on the table, he opted for Williams on a deal until 2026, with the option of the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
Earning a base salary of £9.8m, with up to roughly £2.3m in bonuses, Sainz scored two surprise podiums for Williams in Baku and Qatar, finishing ninth in the standings behind teammate Albon.
Racing Bulls: Liam Lawson
- Contract until: End of 2026
- Yearly salary: Estimated £2.7 million ($3 million)
Liam Lawson had a turbulent 2025 season, losing his Red Bull seat after just two race weekends. He was given until the end of the season at Racing Bulls, and did enough to secure a new one-year contract with the Faenza outfit in 2026.
The New Zealander has now taken up the role of lead driver, with rookie Arvid Lindblad being his teammate. Lawson is earning roughly £2.7m with Racing Bulls.
Racing Bulls: Arvid Lindblad
- Contract until: End of 2026
- Yearly salary: Estimated £377k-755k ($500k – 1 million)
Lindblad is the only newcomer to the F1 grid compared to six from 2025. After impressing Red Bull in the junior ranks, he has been promoted to the pinnacle of motorsport, replacing Hadjar after his promotion from Racing Bulls.
Unsurprisingly, the 18-year-old is the lowest earner on the 2026 grid. His exact salary is unknown, but it is believed that he earns anywhere between $500k and $1 million, or £377k- £755k during his debut season.
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso
- Contract until: End of 2026
- Yearly salary: Estimated £20 million ($26.5 million)
At 44 years old, Fernando Alonso is the most experienced driver on the F1 grid. The Spanish veteran put pen to paper on a new two-year contract with Aston Martin in 2024, taking him up until the end of the 2026 season.
Alonso, who earns roughly £20m per season, has openly admitted that his new deal could well be his last in the sport. With Adrian Newey finally working alongside him, he will be determined to end his career on a high, if he is to call time at the end of the year.
Aston Martin: Lance Stroll
- Contract until: End of 2026
- Yearly salary: Estimated £10.2 million ($13.5 million)
Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll has invested huge sums to see his son, Lance Stroll, become a world champion. Thus far, heading into 2026, the Canadian has scored just one podium, coming in 2017, and one pole position, coming in 2020.
Given the relationship with his father, Stroll often signs one-year deals, but the details of the contract he signed in 2024 remain largely unknown. He is understood to be on a deal until at least 2026 with a salary of roughly £10.2m.
Haas: Esteban Ocon
- Contract until: End of 2026
- Yearly salary: Estimated £4.5 million ($6 million)
Esteban Ocon quickly joined Haas for 2025 shortly after it was announced that he would be leaving Alpine at the end of 2024. The Frenchman would assume the role of team leader, but despite this, he was convincingly beaten by rookie teammate Oliver Bearman last year.
Earning a salary of £4.5m a year, team boss Ayao Komatsu admits that Ocon is under pressure to keep his seat beyond 2026, when it is believed that his contract will expire. He will need to up his game if he wants to stay in F1.
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Haas: Oliver Bearman
- Contract until: Multi-year contract (Reportedly until 2027
- Yearly salary: Estimated £1.5 million ($2 million)
Having proven his talent on debut with Ferrari in Jeddah in 2024, Bearman went from strength to strength with Haas in 2025. He narrowly missed out on a podium in Mexico City and had the beating of Ocon through most of the year.
He will be looking to continue the momentum into 2026 as he hopes to secure a Ferrari seat in the future. Earning £1.5m a season, Bearman is expected to stay at Haas in 2027.
Audi: Nico Hulkenberg
- Contract until: End of 2027
- Yearly salary: Estimated £4.5 million ($6 million)
Nico Hulkenberg was Audi’s first season for their F1 project, bringing him in from Haas in 2025 when they were still known as Sauber. The German’s wealth of experience, as well his nationality, made him the number one option for F1’s newcomers.
Hulkenberg broke his F1 podium drought in 2025 at Silverstone, finishing P3 on his 239th Grand Prix. He will be looking to push Audi forward in 2026, with his £4.5m-a-year contract due to expire in 2027.
Audi: Gabriel Bortoleto
- Contract until: At least the end of 2026
- Yearly salary: Estimated £1.5 million ($2 million)
Brazilian F3 and F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto left McLaren to sign for Sauber, later Audi, in 2025. He impressed in his rookie season with regular Q3 appearances and 19 points.
Now in his sophomore year, the £1.5m-a-year driver will be looking tokeep up the momentum and help Audi have a strong first season in F1 as a team and engine manufacturer.
Alpine: Pierre Gasly
- Contract until: End of 2028
- Yearly salary: Estimated £9.1 million ($12 million)
Signing with Alpine from AlphaTauri in 2023, Pierre Gasly has been a consistently strong performer with the Enstone outfit. He scored all of the team’s points in 2025 as they regressed to the back of the grid.
Alpine wasted no time in retaining Gasly’s services until 2028, with a contract that sees him earn roughly £9.1m per season. Now with a Mercedes engine behind him, he will be hoping to kick on and push back towards the midfield and even the podium spots.
Alpine: Franco Colapinto
- Contract until: 2026 (Multi-year contract)
- Yearly salary: Estimated £3 million
Replacing Jack Doohan six races into 2025, Franco Colapinto had a tough year at Alpine last year, failing to score a single point. His future with the team was thrown into some uncertainty, but Flavio Briatore trusted him enough to keep his seat for 2026.
However, now, the £3m-a-year Argentine must deliver results for the team if he is to keep his seat beyond this season. Having Gasly as a reference could help, but it could also end Colapinto’s career if he cannot keep up with him.
Cadillac: Valtteri Bottas
- Contract until: End of 2027
- Yearly salary: Estimated £3.8 million ($5 million)
Newcomers Cadillac opted for two experienced heads for their debut season in F1. The first is Valtteri Bottas, who returns to full-time racing after a year as Mercedes’ reserve driver in 2025.
The Finnish driver, who has 10 Grand Prix wins to his name with the Silver Arrows, has a two-year deal with Cadillac until 2027 on a salary of £3.8m per season. Bottas will be key for the team’s development as they tackle the world of F1 for the first time.
Cadillac: Sergio Perez
- Contract until: End of 2027
- Yearly salary: Estimated £3.8 million ($5 million)
The second experienced driver in the Cadillac line-up is Sergio Perez. Unlike Bottas, the Mexican spent a year out of F1 after his time with Red Bull was cut short at the end of the 2024 season.
Perez has signed an identical contract to his teammate in 2026, and, likewise, will be looking to help Cadillac develop into a competitive outfit in the near and distant future.
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