EXCLUSIVE: F1 drivers' $130m pay day for 2009

PAY DEAL: Jenson Button may be world champion but his salary is below the average of the 20 F1 racers. (Getty Images)

The 20 drivers who will start this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix have bagged nearly $130m in salaries this year, Arabian Business can reveal.

A new survey of F1 salaries is topped by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, who has collected a $45m pay cheque this year.

Last year’s world champion Lewis Hamilton comes in second with $18m, followed by former double world champion Fernando Alonso – he took $15m in pay from Renault.

Newly crowned world champion Jenson Button could only manage 8th on the list, with $5m – while his teammate Ruben Barrichello was paid a relatively paltry $1m this year.

The survey was compiled by F1 expert Tom Rubython, author of the Ayrton Senna biography The Life of Senna.

Rubython said: “There may be a global recession going on but being an F1 driver means you earned a fortune last year. These figures are just basic salaries, and don’t include sponsorship and other income, which can often be three times that amount.”

In total, the 20 drivers who will race this weekend have earned $126.8m – although if Ferrari’s Felipe Massa is included (currently out injured), it brings the average F1 salary for 2009 to $6.4m.

Despite the high salaries for the star drivers, three of the top names are on no salary due to “rent a drive” contracts – Kazuki Nakajima, Romain Grossjean and Vitantonio Liuzzi

DRIVER SALARIES FOR 2009

1. Kimi Raikkonen $45m
2. Lewis Hamilton $18m
3. Fernando Alonso $15m
4. Nico Rosberg $8.5m
5. Jarno Trulli $6.5m
6. Sebastian Vettell $6m
7. Mark Webber $5.5m
8. Jenson Button $5m
9. Robert Kubica $4.5m
10. Heiki Kovaleinen $3.5m
11. Nick Heidfeld $2.8m
12. Timo Glock $2m
13. Giancarlo Fisichella $1.5m
14. Sebastien Buemi $1.5m
15. Rubens Barrichello $1m
16. Jaime Alguersuari $0.5m
17. Vitantonio Liuzzi $NIL
18. Adrian Sutil [Rent a driver]
19. Romain Grossjean $NIL
20. Kazuki Nakajima $NIL

* Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, who is not racing due to injury, earned $8m in 2009.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Kimi
Posted by Reuben, lincoln, lincolnshire on Friday 30 October 2009 at 01:53 UAE time


its mind boggling to think kimi earns $120,000+ every day

smile please
Posted by His Excellency Dr Paul, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 29 October 2009 at 11:39 UAE time


$45m for Raikonnen even though he was dominated by his team mate last year?

And he still cannot manage a smile?

Remembering Senna
Posted by Anupama, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Thursday 29 October 2009 at 08:17 UAE time


Ayrton Senna was better than them all....unfortunately he did not last through the whole F1 revolution....he literally spoke to the wind when he drove, and it was probably a quirk of fate that ensured his story remained incomplete.

I disagree
Posted by Iceman Fan, Hyderabad, India on Wednesday 28 October 2009 at 21:05 UAE time


Dude....Michael Schumacher with all due respect didnt get to earn what kimi is earning these days if you look at it per annum.....

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