Sebastian Vettel tops the list of prize money earned by an F1 driver with staggering $511 Million to his name ahead of Lewis Hamilton

Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel tops the prize money earned by an F1 driver with $511 Million ahead of former rival Lewis Hamilton.

Former Red Bull and Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel took more prize money home than any active driver in the Formula One paddock.

Vettel is a four times world champion during his time in Red Bull. After that, he joined Ferrari to compete against his rival Lewis Hamilton. However, it did not go as planned as the German could not win any further championships.

To the credit of the four times world champion, he has earned $511 Million in prize money for the team during his time in Formula One.

Also Read: $4.7 Million that Lewis Hamilton missed

What is Formula One Prize money all about?

The prize money is basically 47.5% of F1’s underlying profit. This underlying profit separates into the half with the first half given to the teams based on their standings in a race.

The other half of the money is evenly distributed upon the driver and team’s performance during the race. This money goes to the teams who have finished in the top ten in two out of the past three seasons.

Ferrari however gets special privileges for their rich history with Formula One since the 1950s. They receive an additional 5% of F1’s underlying profit which adds to $62.2 Million annually.

Sebastian Vettel tops the Prize Money list with Lewis Hamilton second

Vettel’s career spans from the 2007 season. He has Formula One’s joint second longest career of any active driver behind Fernando Alonso but equal to Lewis Hamilton.

The German driver won his first race in 2008 with Toro Rosso. He has earned a huge $511 Million for his teams during his time in Formula One.

Lewis Hamilton is lagging behind with a difference of around $60 million. Former Champion Kimi Raikkonen ranks third at $ 386.3m and Nico Hulkenberg is fourth on the list with $ 250.9m.

Also Read: A former teammate of Michael Schumacher has a $100 million net worth after leaving Formula 1