Lewis Hamilton only one of 10 F1 stars denied ‘bonus’ as £67m paid out | F1 | Sport
Lewis Hamilton was reportedly the only one of the ten highest-paid F1 drivers not to receive a bonus for his performances in 2023. Despite this, the Mercedes star was still the second-highest paid man on the grid with only reigning world champion Max Verstappen taking home more off the back of his record-breaking campaign.
Despite finishing third in the Drivers’ Championship standings behind only champion Verstappen and his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, 2023 was a season to forget for Hamilton. The 38-year-old ended the year without a Grand Prix victory for the second season in succession.
Hamilton came closest to ending his two-year winless streak in Texas, ultimately crossing the line in P2 before a technical infringement led to his disqualification. This meant that despite pipping Ferrari to P2 in the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes failed to win a race in 2023.
According to a report from Forbes, Hamilton brought home a salary in the region of £43.4m ($55m) for his efforts in 2023. However, the seven-time world champion was not paid a bonus by Mercedes following an underwhelming campaign for the Silver Arrows despite nine other drivers, including Pierre Gasly, receiving multi-million-pound payouts.
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Verstappen, meanwhile, brought home a lower base salary of £35.5m ($45m), but his sensational efforts meant that his pay was topped up with a £19.7m ($25m) bonus payout from Red Bull.
The 26-year-old enjoyed arguably the most impressive individual season in F1 history, winning 19 Grands Prix – including 17 of the final 18 – as he destroyed team-mate Sergio Perez and the rest of the competition en route to his third successive Drivers’ Championship crown.
As per Forbes’ report, the only other driver to pick up an eight-figure bonus was Perez, who raked in £12.6m ($16m) on top of his base salary of £7.9m ($10m) after delivering the first-ever one-two Drivers’ Championship finish in Red Bull’s decorated history.
Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris both brought home bonuses in the region of £7.9m ($10m) after finishing P4 and P6 in the standings respectively. Both drivers played leading roles for their teams as Aston Martin and McLaren battled for P4 in the Constructors’ Championship.
Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri all claimed £3.9m ($5m) bonuses for their efforts last season, while Carlos Sainz picked up a £4.7m ($6m) payout after claiming Ferrari’s only Grand Prix victory of the campaign. Alpine star Pierre Gasly also made the top ten, picking up a £2.4m ($3m) bonus on top of his £3.9m salary.
