Lando Norris joined F1 royalty with his maiden championship feat last year, and in turn has joined sporting royalty in the list of the highest-paid athletes of 2025.
The rankings were dominated by some of the biggest stars in world sport, from footballing icons to NBA superstars; only four F1 drivers managed to crack their way in.
Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list for the third consecutive year, with his base salary of £150m ($200m) at Al-Nassr proving to be far superior to any of his peers across the globe.
Canelo Alvarez’s two bouts in 2025 saw him take the second spot on the list, with Lionel Messi, Juan Soto, and LeBron James all rounding out the top five earners, respectively.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend received a total of £96m ($128.7m) for his 23rd year of playing in the league, and was the highest placed NBA player on the list.
Lando Norris’ 2025 Formula 1 title feat saw him become the 32nd highest-paid athlete in the world
The 2025 F1 season proved to be the most lucrative season of Lando Norris’ career, both on the track and off of it.
The McLaren star’s maiden title saw him earn a bonus of £3.7m ($5m), and paired with his yearly salary of £40m ($54m), he entered Sportico’s list of the highest-paid athletes for the very first time in his career.
The path to Norris’ big payday was paved by the high-intensity drama of the final few rounds of the most recent campaign.
The McLaren star had to fend off a late resurgence from Max Verstappen, who came mightily close to securing his fifth championship in a row.
The 22nd, 23rd and final race weekends of 2025 were soaked in drama, including a disqualification in Las Vegas, a last-gasp overtake in Qatar and a tension-filled season closer in Abu Dhabi.
In the end, the British driver prevailed, and his bank account is all the happier for it.
Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri also made it onto the list of the highest-paid athletes in the world
Lewis Hamilton was actually the highest-paid Formula 1 driver on the list, with the Ferrari star just missing out on the top 10 athletes in 11th.
The seven-time world champion took home a total of £74.6m ($100m) according to Sportico’s list, and it marked his highest placing among the best athletes in the world since 2021.
Red Bull’s Verstappen was the next driver in the list, with his net total of salary plus endorsements seeing him earn close to £62m ($83m).
Despite missing out on the title in 2025, his increase in salary, plus a bigger bonus, saw his income increase by over £5m to his 2024 figure.
Oscar Piastri is the final driver on the list. He claimed the 96th spot, which put him on par with Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward, New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and Barcelona bagsman Robert Lewandowski.
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