65-race Formula 1 driver ‘practically’ paid his teammate’s £3.9m-a-year salary in 2024

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There are arguably no more pay drivers on the Formula 1 grid. This may be down to the introduction of the cost cap, which has made midfield teams more comfortable.

In the past, smaller outfits had to hire drivers who didn’t necessarily merit a spot in F1 on talent alone. Instead, they were reliant on huge sponsorship incentives to stay afloat.

But while many of the current competitors bring significant backing, they’ve all shown they’re worthy of a place in the sport. Sergio Perez is backed by Carlos Slim, and while he may have struggled lately at Red Bull, he had a fine career in F1’s midfield with Sauber and Force India.

Lance Stroll may not be driving for a team as strong as Aston Martin without his father’s presence as majority shareholder. But with three podiums and a pole position to his name, as well as some impressive performances against Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, Stroll does have the speed for F1.

Looking at the 2025 grid, Oliver Bearman’s father heads a £112m company, which clearly helped him ascend the ladder. But few would dispute that he’s one of the most promising talents in motorsport right now.

One driver who might have merited the pejorative ‘pay driver’ tag is Logan Sargeant. The American, who hails from a billionaire family, lasted 18 months at Williams before losing his drive to Franco Colapinto.

Zhou Guanyu enabled Sauber to pay Valtteri Bottas’ wages

Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu may not be in F1 for solely sporting reasons. As the sport’s first-ever Chinese driver, he has many lucrative connections in his homeland.

But over his 65 races to date, he’s scored a respectable 12 points, and though he’s found life difficult against Valtteri Bottas this year, they were fairly closely matched in 2023. Both drivers will be losing their seats at the end of the season.

Ahead of Audi’s arrival, Sauber have signed Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. Bottas ‘gambled’ in negotiations over a new contract, and it backfired.

That’s according to Swiss outlet Blick, who add that he was earning around £3.9m per year at Hinwil. Zhou ‘practically’ paid this salary through his sponsors – Sauber wouldn’t have been able to afford it otherwise.

How much are Zhou Guanyu’s sponsorship deals worth?

Zhou is hopeful of staying in F1 for 2025 despite losing his Sauber drive. He unsuccessfully offered his services to other teams as a fully-fledged race driver.

However, Ted Kravitz says Zhou could be a reserve, whether that’s at Sauber or another team. Bottas is poised to return to Mercedes in the support role.

Zhou brings around £27m through sponsors, though it’s unclear how much a team would benefit if they’re not fielding him every weekend. He’d likely be limited to testing appearances.

More than a quarter of the 20 drivers who started the 2024 season may not be on the grid next year. Along with Zhou, Bottas and Sargeant, Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo also feature on that unfortunate list, and Perez is at risk too.