Alonso still highest paid driver in 2015

Jun.3 - Fernando Alonso remains the highest paid driver in formula one this year.

That is the claim of the latest edition of Business Book, having published a detailed salary ranking of every driver on the 2015 grid.

Spaniard Alonso is yet to score a single point this season following his switch to McLaren-Honda, but he will banking no less than $39 million, international media reports quote Business Book as having found.

That is more than Sebastian Vettel, even though the German's new $30 million Ferrari retainer is higher than his earlier wage as quadruple world champion at Red Bull.

In third place in 2015 is Lewis Hamilton, but the world champion's $28 million will reportedly increase to or beyond Alonso's dizzying earning powers next year and beyond.

Kimi Raikkonen ($20m), Nico Rosberg ($15m) and Jenson Button ($11m) complete the ranks of the most powerful earners in 2015, but Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Pérez, Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado all take home a comfortable $4.5 million apiece, Business Book claims.

The only other drivers reportedly making their millions in 2015 are Valtteri Bottas ($2.2m) and Daniel Ricciardo ($1.65m).

Red Bull newcomer Daniil Kvyat is listed as earning $820,000, ahead of the impressive Toro Rosso rookies Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, each with $275,000.

Sauber reportedly pays Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson $220,000 each, while Manor's Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi make even less than that, the list suggests.

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Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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