Sebastian Vettel may only just be clinging onto his title of the biggest name in Formula One, but at his current rate he won’t be worth the $30 million he’s being paid more than Daniel Ricciardo for much longer.
Vettel’s $31.7 million monster contract dwarfs that of Australian rookie and Red Bull Racing teammate Ricciardo, being paid a measly $1.1 million in comparison, according to salaries revealed in the Business Book GP2014.
But if their on-track performances are anything to go by, the 25-year-old Aussie is in for a massive payday. He’s claimed recent wins in Canada and Hungary to join three third-place finishes in Spain, Monaco and Great Britain. Meanwhile, Vettel’s lacklustre transition handling new F1 vehicle standards has seen the four-time world champion muster up just a couple of third-placed podium finishes in Malaysia and Canada.
With his value set to skyrocket, Ricciardo admitted earlier in the week that beating his German teammate “feels great”.
“Of course I won’t lie: it feels great,” Ricciardo told CNN. “You know he is an awesome benchmark to sort of judge myself on.
“To have shown really good speed against him not only in qualifying but in races as well has been encouraging. So yeah I am enjoying it.”
Vettel is joined atop of the money makers list by Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen (both making $31.7 million) while Lewis Hamilton earns $28.8 per season.
Business Book GP2014’s Top 20 Formula One driver salaries:
1. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull): $31.7 million
2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari): $31.7m
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari): $31.7m
4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes): $28.8m
5. Jenson Button (McLaren): $23.1m
6. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes): $17.3m
7. Felipe Massa (Williams): $5.8m
8. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India): $5.8m
9. Romain Grosjean (Lotus): $4.3m
10. Pastor Maldonado (Lotus): $4.3m
11. Sergio Perez (Force India): $4.3m
12. Adrian Sutil (Sauber): $2.9m
13. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren): $1.44m
14. Valtteri Bottas (Williams): $1.44m
15. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull): $1.1m
16. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso): $1.1m
17. Jules Bianchi (Marussia): $720,000
18. Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber): $577,000
19. Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso): $360,000
20. Max Chilton (Marussia): $290,000
*Salaries in other reports vary. The Australian Financial Review estimated Ricciardo’s base salary to be $3.65 million in a report earlier this year.
Photo: Andrew Hone/Getty Images
