Kimi Antonelli’s base salary at Mercedes is $2 million — The National
In Italy, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix in Monza and took the lead in the Formula 1 championship with a 66-point advantage. According to The National, the 20-year-old Italian’s base salary for the 2026 season is $2 million.
Seventh win of the season
Antonelli won his home race despite starting from 19th position. The victory in Monza was his seventh in 13 rounds of the season and increased his lead in the standings to 66 points.
Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell, who had been considered the favorite before the season, acknowledged that the Italian is controlling the title fight. If Antonelli becomes champion, he could claim the title of the youngest Formula 1 world champion at the age of 20.
The publication also notes that a successful season could bring the driver a substantial pay rise. At the beginning of the year, his base salary was among the lowest in the paddock.
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Formula 1 driver salaries
The figures cited by The National are base salaries excluding bonuses. The publication states that the data were collected from f1salaries.com and racingnews365.com.
According to these data, Max Verstappen of Red Bull has the highest base salary of the season at $70 million. Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari ranks second with $60 million, while the salary of his teammate Charles Leclerc is estimated at $34–36 million.
George Russell earns $34 million, while McLaren’s Lando Norris earns $30 million. Among the drivers with lower base payments are Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Antonelli, at $2 million each, as well as Oliver Bearman, Franco Colapinto, and Arvid Lindblad, at $1 million each.
