73 replies to this topic

[SteF1an]

Forbes Ranks 10 Highest Earning Drivers in the world of motorsports. Of the 10 that made this coveted list, five drivers represent Nascar , four come from Formula 1 , and one comes from the world of MotoGP.

http://msn.foxsports...arning-drivers/

 

No. 1 Fernando Alonso – $30 million – Formula 1
No. 2 Lewis Hamilton – $27.5 million – Formula 1
No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. – $26 million – NASCAR
No. 4 Jimmy Johnson – $24 million – NASCAR
No. 5 Valentino Rossi – $22 million – MotoGP
No. 6 Tony Stewart – $18.5 million – NASCAR
No. 7 Jeff Gordon – $18.2 million – NASCAR
No. 8 Sebastian Vettel – $18 million – Formula 1
No. 9 Danica Patrick – $15 million – NASCAR
No. 10 Jenson Button - $14 million – Formula 1

Edited by SteF1an, 05 September 2013 - 09:00.

[study]

Is that standard wages only?

 

Isn't Vettel on a good win bonus?

[Lights]

Is that standard wages only?

 

Isn't Vettel on a good win bonus?

 

As stated by Forbes:

 

"We looked at earnings between June 2012 and June 2013 derived from salaries, bonuses, endorsements, as well as the drivers’ shares of winnings and licensing."

Edited by Lights, 05 September 2013 - 09:37.

[Der Pate]

The question is, how these numbers are counted...

 

As far as I remember a Ferrari-driver doesn´t earn that much from Ferrari (although it´s enormous), but also earns money from Sponsors directly and so on...

[santababy]

Wow so Alonso's 4th year with Ferrari will amount to $120 million so far...  

No wonder Ferrari is longing for their next WDC.

 

Triple WDC Vettel is getting only half of Alonso's salary, almost the same as Button.

Raikkonen not even on the list, maybe he hasn't received his salary yet.  

[maverick69]

Danica Patrick? 15 million bucks?

 

And they say the workplace is sexist 

[William Hunt]

Raikkönen earned 16 million $ last year and will probably earn even more this year (if he is going to see every penny is another matter)

[santababy]

So I can see a big gap amongst the 5 WDCs.

 

1. Alonso - 30 million

2. Hamilton - 27.5 million

 

 

 

3. Vettel - 18 million

4. Raikkonen - 16 million (thanks for the figure William Hunt)

5. Button - 14 million

[PoleMan]

 

Raikkönen earned 16 million $ last year and will probably earn even more this year (if he is going to see every penny is another matter)

 

Link please.

[JHSingo]

No. 9 Danica Patrick – $15 million – NASCAR
 

 

Not a bad life to be a sub-standard racing driver, earning that much, is it?

[mnmracer]

Vettel doesn't have many personal sponsors "so I can focus more on my job as a racing driver".

[kosmos]

Alonso pays a big % of his salary on taxes because he lives in Spain, so if you think about it, he is not getting that much money, at least not the raw salary.

[BRG]

Alonso pays a big % of his salary on taxes because he lives in Spain, so if you think about it, he is not getting that much money, at least not the raw salary.

That's his choice though, so it makes no difference.  He isn't paid a lot more just to make up for it, is he?

[Thomas99]

Its fair.

 

Alonso IS Ferrari at the moment. Without him they would be no were.

 

Hamilton is a great ambassador for Mercedes, He alone would have gotten them a lot of sales internationally. 

[fabr68]

I bet Hamilton and Alonso would take a paycut in exchange for a faster car and Vettel would not take 5 times his salary to move to Williams.

Therefore at the end it all kind of balances out

Edited by fabr68, 05 September 2013 - 12:21.

[Nahnever]

Alonso pays a big % of his salary on taxes because he lives in Spain, so if you think about it, he is not getting that much money, at least not the raw salary.

That doesn't mean anything; it's completely irrelevant. His wages are not being inflated because he gets taxed more.

[ebc]

Not sure those are accurate as I have read different numbers on different sites, wouldn't put to much stock into what Forbes says over the others.

I think James Allen said that Kimi is on a lot more than people think for example, so I don't think Forbes know what each driver earns exactly.

[Fontainebleau]

Not sure those are accurate as I have read different numbers on different sites, wouldn't put to much stock into what Forbes says over the others.

I think James Allen said that Kimi is on a lot more than people think for example, so I don't think Forbes know what each driver earns exactly.

Maybe, but it would be surprising if forumers here had better access than Forbes to this type of information.

[redreni]

Driver contracts are in strict commercial confidence anyway so I don't know how Forbes arrive at their figures.

 

And am I the only one that thinks Danica Patrick looks rather out of place on that list? I normally associate top pay with success, which in motorsport means winning. Just saying...

[Fontainebleau]

Driver contracts are in strict commercial confidence anyway so I don't know how Forbes arrive at their figures.

 

And am I the only one that thinks Danica Patrick looks rather out of place on that list? I normally associate top pay with success, which in motorsport means winning. Just saying...

I think that a driver's market value also comes from his or her appeal to the public, regardless their success.

[starp]

I am actually surprised how much less the Ferrari driver is making than his predecessors did.  You think of Santander is being the incredibly wealthy benefactor.  But, particularly when you factor inflation, Ferrari is paying much less than they did for earlier drivers.

[GSiebert]

Not a bad life to be a sub-standard racing driver, earning that much, is it?

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr approves.

[PoleMan]

I am actually surprised how much less the Ferrari driver is making than his predecessors did.  You think of Santander is being the incredibly wealthy benefactor.  But, particularly when you factor inflation, Ferrari is paying much less than they did for earlier drivers.

 

 

World financial crisis may have had a bit to do with reduced F1 retainers...including at Ferrari... but I suppose Alonso will "scrape by" as the highest paid pilot. 

[ensign14]

The question is, how these numbers are counted...

 

As far as I remember a Ferrari-driver doesn´t earn that much from Ferrari (although it´s enormous), but also earns money from Sponsors directly and so on...

That was the story Enzo spun when Marlboro appeared on Ferrari, after he said "I don't smoke and drink, my cars never will."

 

He said that Marlboro didn't sponsor the car, but the drivers.

 

Incidentally, there was a story that a decade ago, when Bill Ford took over as chairman at the family firm, he looked at the list of top earners, and said "who is this Ed Irvine?"

[redreni]

I am actually surprised how much less the Ferrari driver is making than his predecessors did.  You think of Santander is being the incredibly wealthy benefactor.  But, particularly when you factor inflation, Ferrari is paying much less than they did for earlier drivers.

 

Yeah, but the deal was done at the height of the global financial crisis. Presumably Montezemelo has to get big-ticket items like $30m contracts signed off by Fiat, and if I remember correctly Fiat was facing an existential threat at the time...

[Prost1997T]

Try reading the full article people. The reason drivers like Junior and Patrick are high on the list: ""We looked at earnings between June 2012 and June 2013 derived from salaries, bonuses, endorsements, as well as the drivers’ shares of winnings and licensing."

[Winter98]

I bet Alonso would swap salaries with Vettel in a heartbeat...

 

...if he also got the 3 WDCs.

[JHSingo]

Dale Earnhardt Jr approves.

 

I kinda agree. I think it is a bit sad that he's made his fortune almost entirely based on his famous surname and his dad's legacy, instead of his own prowess behind the wheel of a racing car, but at least he's still reasonably competitive, which is more than can be said of Danica...

[pingu666]

i wouldnt be so sure, money is a big factor, say 25m per year should buy you a good chunk of performance

[Prost1997T]

I kinda agree. I think it is a bit sad that he's made his fortune almost entirely based on his famous surname and his dad's legacy, instead of his own prowess behind the wheel of a racing car, but at least he's still reasonably competitive, which is more than can be said of Danica...

 

Junior's problem is two-fold: he drives for Hendrick and doesn't win races, and his origins created massive expectations.

 

Speaking of Danica, the other rookie in Sprint Cup doesn't look particularly impressive either, and he's the holder of back-to-back Nationwide championships. Kyle Larson has skill but he'll be in for a hard time next year.

[pup]

Vettel earns less for a couple of reasons - first, I believe he doesn't use professional representation in negotiating  his contracts; and second, Red Bull has a better bargaining position in negotiations than the other teams, given their recent success rate.  I'm sure that if Ferrari didn't have Alonso, that they'd make a similar offer to Vettel.  Perhaps they have.

[Dozer]

Vettel doesn't have many personal sponsors "so I can focus more on my job as a racing driver".

 

Who would want to sponsor an unpopular driver who gets boo'd by the paying public?

 

Maybe if you we're selling anti-boo spray I guess...

[Dozer]

Hamilton is a great ambassador for Mercedes, He alone would have gotten them a lot of sales internationally. 

 

Indeed so, I spent the best part of 500 on their online store when he first joined, including the signed t-shirt and team jumper, I'm sure I'm not the only new customer they picked up...

 

Ironically all the Merc gear is really shoddy and most shrunk after the 1st wash (I miss the fantastically made McLaren merchandise)

[William Hunt]

Link please.

 

I made a mistake, actually Raikkönen's salary last year was 17 million $ and not 16 as I had posted earlier.

There are many sources that wrote this in the beginning of this year. He has a base salary of 5 million $ + a bonus for each point he scores, that bonus was +- 12 million $ last year and could be higher this season. He probably also still has income from some personal sponsors so his total income may even be higher as 17 million $.

 

You wanted a link? Here is one: http://www.motorspor...s_13010801.html. At the time this topic was discussed in detail on this forum: http://forums.autosp...-november-2012/

[MMandi]

So...who's the highest paid number 2?

[HeadFirst]

I think that a driver's market value also comes from his or her appeal to the public, regardless their success.

People may not like it, but it's true. A driver's earning potential is based on more than skill.

[apoka]

Not sure whether the numbers are reliable, but just want to point out that Vettel doesn't have a manager, whereas many other drivers probably invest a part of their income for that.

[SpaMaster]

Who would want to sponsor an unpopular driver who gets boo'd by the paying public?

 

Maybe if you we're selling anti-boo spray I guess...

May be he really wants to concentrate on racing instead of rapping, writing poems, etc..

Edited by SpaMaster, 05 September 2013 - 18:13.

[Victor_RO]

So...who's the highest paid number 2?

 

Straight away from that list... Rossi. At least in terms of being behind a teammate in championship standings.

[Moosed]

May be he really wants to concentrate on racing instead of rapping, writing poems, etc..

 

god forbid someone have hobbies outside of their job

[Dozer]

god forbid someone have hobbies outside of their job

 

[artista]

I know the list also includes endorsements, but I have to admit, I was pretty surprised to see Danica Patrick earning more than, dunno, Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards (just the first two names that crossed my mind, I can give a few more names thinking for 10 seconds).
Since I can't be accused of being sexist, I suppose I can say it loud without being politically incorrect: she being so high on the list doesn't look 'right'

Edit: kudos to her though, convincing people to pay you so much money is not easy

Edited by artista, 05 September 2013 - 18:39.

[Afterburner]

I bet Hamilton and Alonso would take a paycut in exchange for a faster car and Vettel would not take 5 times his salary to move to Williams.

Therefore at the end it all kind of balances out

 

For once, you and I finally agree on something.

 

Who would want to sponsor an unpopular driver who gets boo'd by the paying public?

 

Maybe if you we're selling anti-boo spray I guess...

 

Sort of like this?

 

 

 

[/nerd]

[HeadFirst]

I know the list also includes endorsements, but I have to admit, I was pretty surprised to see Danica Patrick earning more than, dunno, Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards (just the first two names that crossed my mind, I can give a few more names thinking for 10 seconds).
Since I can't be accused of being sexist, I suppose I can say it loud without being politically incorrect: she being so high on the list doesn't look 'right'

Edit: kudos to her though, convincing people to pay you so much money is not easy

Probably didn't have to convince too many people, I think the marketing research did that for her.

[Dozer]

For once, you and I finally agree on something.

 

 

Sort of like this?

 

 

 

[/nerd]

 

 

[William Hunt]

I think that a driver's market value also comes from his or her appeal to the public, regardless their success.

 

Of course: the marketing value of a driver is also very important. When McLaren wanted to lure Niki Lauda back from retirement at the end of 1981 Niki tested for them, afterwards McLaren asked how much money he wanted and Niki said '1 million $', which was (also considering inflation) astronomical in those days. McLaren said he was crazy but Niki dully replied: 'just pay me 1 dollar for my driving efforts and 999.999$ for my marketing value then'. They ended up signing him.

Edited by William Hunt, 05 September 2013 - 19:39.

[Snic]

Of course: the marketing value of a driver is also very important. When McLaren wanted to lure Niki Lauda back from retirement at the end of 1981 Niki tested for them, afterwards McLaren asked how much money he wanted and Niki said '1 million $', which was (also considering inflation) astronomical in those days. McLaren said he was crazy but Niki dully replied: 'just pay me 1 dollar for my driving efforts and 999.999$ for my marketing value then'. They ended up signing him.

 

Ahh I just read To Hell & Back, that bit was pretty hilarious on Niki's part.

 

Danica Patrick is a figurehead for GoDaddy.. just search GoDaddy on Google Images and she's on every other picture. That kind of marketability for a company which has become one of the Worlds biggest domain registrars is worth the pay check on its own.

Edited by Snic, 05 September 2013 - 19:55.

[undersquare]

I don't think Red Bull pay Sebi the maximum they think he's worth, I think they pay what they have to; and I feel sure that's a good bit less than they'd have to pay if he had a manager.

[Atreiu]

Vettel doesn't have many personal sponsors "so I can focus more on my job as a racing driver".

 

He said that? Nice.

In his shoes, I'd probably hand pick who I'd like to be associated with and, most definitely, not overdo it and get swarmed all over by PR duties.
 

[HeadFirst]

I don't think Red Bull pay Sebi the maximum they think he's worth, I think they pay what they have to; and I feel sure that's a good bit less than they'd have to pay if he had a manager.

Probably right, but then that manager might have scored a better $$$$ deal for him at say McLaren and then where in the WDC would he be. I think Seb is very smart, in that he took less to be in a situation that suited him. He likes the people he works with and Red Bull has shown the ability to produce a fine car. After 3 WDCs the cash rewards are the icing on the cake. Having said that, I think the next contract he signs will be much more lucrative.