10 richest F1 drivers of all time: net worths, ranked – Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button banked millions on the Formula One Grand Prix circuit, but are they wealthier than Michael Schumacher?

Jun 26 , 2022

The richest Formula One drivers of all time, ranked by net worth, including from left, Niki Lauda, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. Photo (left to right): AFP; @kimimatiasraikkonen/Instagram; AP; AFP; @michaelschumacher/Instagram

Kimi Räikkönen made millions over a 20-year career with Ferrari, Lotus and McLaren – Sebastian Vettel won four lucrative titles with Red Bull before moving to Aston Martin

Mario Andretti owns petrol stations and a vineyard, Niki Lauda owned airlines and Jenson Button now covers Formula One for Sky Sports and advises former team Williams

Formula One is among the most exclusive and expensive of all sports, raking in some US$2.1 billion in revenue in 2021. Of course, the cost of taking this gigantic show on the road, racing at circuits around the world, is enormous too. Not least the pay for the drivers who train hard and take risks every day for the thrill of the sport – and also, no doubt, for the benefit of their bank balances.

Precise figures are not released for current driver salaries, but Celebrity Net Worth has compiled an estimated list of the overall richest drivers, past and present – and here are the top 10 of those who race, or have raced, in Formula One.

10. Alain Prost: US$100 million

Alain Prost took up various posts in the world of racing after he stopped driving, including adviser and team owner. Photo: @a.prost/Instagram

Starting to race as a teenager, Frenchman Alain Prost, 67, became known as “The Professor” and was one of the greatest racers in the 1980s. The four-time world champion held the record for most Grand Prix victories – with 51 wins from 1987 to 2001 – until Michael Schumacher surpassed him, amassing a huge sum from prizes and pay.

Winner of the 1988 Australian Grand Prix, Alain Prost (right), embraces his teammate and the newly crowned world champion, Ayrton Senna of Brazil, who was killed in a crash in 1994. Photo: AFP

Moreover, he also made more money as the owner of his own team, Prost Grand Prix, and as a technical adviser for his former teams, McLaren and Renault, after retirement. He has also reportedly been successful as an investor in stock and property.

9. Eddie Irvine: US$120 million

Ferrari’s Eddie Irvine of Britain lifts the winner’s trophy at the 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix. Photo: AP

During his one-decade career from 1983, “Fast Eddie” won four of his 148 races, with all his victories coming for Ferrari, making him some US$50 million, per The Richest.

But the Northern Irish driver, 57, was a millionaire before he started racing, thanks to his savvy property investments. He owns around 50 flats and houses worth a combined US$700,000.