The 2024 Formula One season is nearly upon us and it is set to be an epic campaign in more ways than one.
With 24 races in the calendar, this is going to be the longest season in F1 history. And it begins in Bahrain on Saturday, with the finale in Abu Dhabi in December.
As has been the case over the past few seasons, the main talking point this time will also be whether anyone can challenge the supremacy of Red Bull and triple world champion Max Verstappen.
Red Bull dominated last year, winning 21 of the 22 races, Verstappen clinching 19 of them. And the chances of them continuing their dominance are high after encouraging pre-season testing and stable, unchanged regulations.
The only cause for concern will be off the track, with long-serving team boss Christian Horner facing allegations by an employee about his conduct and awaiting news of his future at the team.
There were big developments further down the grid, with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton going into his last season with Mercedes ahead of joining Ferrari next year. The 39-year-old hopes Ferrari will provide him with a competitive car, something that Mercedes have been unable to do for the past two years.
There are a few other changes as well. China returns to the F1 roster for the first time since 2019, while Italy's iconic Imola track is back after last year's race was cancelled due to flooding.
Surprisingly, there are no rookie drivers and no changes to line-ups since the season finale in Abu Dhabi last year.
What has also not changed is the incredible salaries of the top drivers. F1 is an extremely expensive sport with budgets of top teams running into hundreds of millions of dollars, and the financial returns for winning equally substantial. Only the best make the cut in the ultra-competitive, technology heavy world of F1 and the best drivers get paid accordingly.
Below is the list of the highest-paid drivers on the grid for 2024, according to spotrac.com and racingnews365.com.
F1 driver salaries for 2024
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull): $55 million
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes): $45 million
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): $34 million
4. Lando Norris (McLaren): $20 million
5. George Russell (Mercedes): $18 million
=5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): $18 million
7. Sergio Perez (Red Bull): $14 million
8. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari): $12 million
9. Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber): $10 million
10. Daniel Ricciardo (Visa Cash App RB): $7 million
11. Esteban Ocon (Alpine): $6 million
=11. Pierre Gasly (Alpine): $6 million
=11. Oscar Piastri (McLaren): $6 million
14. Kevin Magnussen (Haas): $5 million
15. Alex Albon (Williams): $3 million
=15. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin): $3 million
17. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas): $2 million
=17. Guanyu Zhou (Kick Sauber): $2 million
19. Yuki Tsunoda (Visa Cash App RB): $1 million
=19. Logan Sargeant (Williams): $1 million
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Entrepreneur Elon Musk at the pit lane during the United States GP in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, October 22, 2023. AFP -
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with Prince Harry at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. AFP -
SpaceX, Tesla and platform X boss Elon Musk in Austin, Texas. AFP -
Prince Harry with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. Reuters -
Sir Jackie Stewart with Rory McIlroy on the grid during the United States GP. AFP -
Heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua during the United States GP in Austin, Texas. AFP -
Patrick Dempsey with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and Geri Halliwell. AFP -
Actor Cole Hauser in Austin, Texas. AFP -
British boxer Anthony Joshua walks on the grid. AFP -
Astronaut Reid Wiseman during the US GP. AFP -
Sprint star Sha'Carri Richardson and Joe Jonas at the US Grand Prix. AFP -
British runner Dina Asher-Smith at the Red Bull garage. AFP
