Toto Wolff, the former racer who now owns a third of the Mercedes F1 team, is the richest person in racing history at about $2.7 billion in October 2026. Bernie Ecclestone follows at $2.5 billion, then Michael Schumacher at $800 million. This list covers the 15 wealthiest racing drivers ever, including Formula 1 and NASCAR stars and drivers who built their fortunes as team owners and executives. See also the most expensive sport in the world.
| Rank | Driver | Net worth |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Eddie Irvine | $120 million |
| 14 | Mario Andretti | $130 million |
| 13 | Sebastian Vettel | $140 million |
| 12 | Jenson Button | $150 million |
| 11 | Jimmie Johnson | $160 million |
| 10 | Jeff Gordon | $200 million |
| 9 | Niki Lauda | $200 million |
| 8 | Kimi Raikkonen | $250 million |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | $260 million |
| 6 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | $300 million |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | $300 million |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | $550 million |
| 3 | Michael Schumacher | $800 million |
| 2 | Bernie Ecclestone | $2.5 billion |
| 1 | Toto Wolff | $2.7 billion |
15. Eddie Irvine: Net worth $120 million
Eddie Irvine finished second in the 1999 championship with Ferrari, two points behind the champion, and retired after 2002 with four wins.
He has since focused on property development and investment in the UK, Ireland, the US and the Caribbean.
A reported peak salary at Jaguar and a string of property developments carry this estimate.
14. Mario Andretti: Net worth $130 million
Mario Andretti won the 1978 Formula 1 title, the 1969 Indianapolis 500 and the 1967 Daytona 500. His son Michael is a former IndyCar driver and team owner.
He has since built a business around the Andretti name, including a Napa Valley winery and car washes.
Racing winnings plus the winery and car wash businesses make up our figure.
13. Sebastian Vettel: Net worth $140 million
Sebastian Vettel won four titles in a row for Red Bull, from 2010 to 2013, and drove for Ferrari and Aston Martin before retiring after the 2022 season. He collected 122 podiums along the way.
His career salaries peaked at an estimated $40 million a year, and he has since turned to environmental projects.
Estimated career salaries and sponsorship income are all we have to go on here.
12. Jenson Button: Net worth $150 million
Jenson Button won the 2009 title with Brawn GP and 15 races, then left full-time F1 after 2016, with a one-off return in 2017. He has since tried his hand at endurance and stock-car racing.
He collected about $81 million over seven seasons at McLaren, an average of about $11.6 million a year.
The estimate is peak F1 salaries plus property.
11. Jimmie Johnson: Net worth $160 million
Jimmie Johnson won seven Cup titles, five of them in a row from 2006 to 2010, and 83 races.
He is now a co-owner of Legacy Motor Club and has kept racing part time.
We counted racing earnings and his share of a team.
10. Jeff Gordon: Net worth $200 million
Jeff Gordon won four Cup titles and 93 races, third on NASCAR’s all-time list, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019. He stepped back from full-time racing after 2015 and now works as a TV analyst and part-owner of Hendrick Motorsports.
Sponsors such as Pepsi and DuPont added tens of millions, and he has real-estate and licensing businesses.
Prize money, sponsor deals, a Hendrick Motorsports stake and property sales fill out the estimate.
9. Niki Lauda: Net worth $200 million
Niki Lauda won three world championships, in 1975, 1977 and 1984, and died in 2019. He built Lauda Air and then Niki into successful airlines.
He was also a non-executive director and chairman of the Mercedes F1 team from 2012, where he reportedly held a 10 percent stake. Net worth at death was about $200 million.
This is his estimated net worth at death, built from airline sale proceeds, the reported Mercedes stake and racing earnings.
8. Kimi Raikkonen: Net worth $250 million
Kimi Raikkonen won the 2007 title with Ferrari and 21 races overall. He retired from F1 at the end of 2021 after a second spell at Alfa Romeo.
He reportedly earned about $50 million a year at his peak at Ferrari and was paid a further reported $25 million to step aside in 2009. Sponsors including Oakley and Hublot added to it.
Peak Ferrari pay, the reported payout to step aside and endorsement deals sit behind this figure, along with Swiss property.
7. Max Verstappen: Net worth $260 million
Max Verstappen won four straight titles from 2021 to 2024 for Red Bull, and he finished as runner-up in 2025 after Lando Norris took the championship by two points. He is still racing at Red Bull.
Estimates of his wealth range from about $200 million to $260 million. More on Max Verstappen.
Reported Red Bull pay, bonuses and partner deals, along with his jet and property, drive this number.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Net worth $300 million
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won two Daytona 500s and 26 Cup Series races and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2022. He retired from full-time Cup racing after 2017.
JR Motorsports, where he is co-owner, keeps him in the garage, and he works as a broadcast analyst. His media company Dirty Mo Media makes podcasts.
Winnings, endorsements, a stake in a racing team and a media company make up this estimate.
5. Fernando Alonso: Net worth $300 million
Fernando Alonso won the world title in 2005 and 2006, then Le Mans in 2018 and 2019. Now in his mid-40s, he is still racing in F1 with Aston Martin, one of the longest careers in the sport.
His wealth comes from salaries at Renault, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin, plus sponsors such as Santander and his Kimoa clothing brand. Estimates range from about $260 million to $400 million.
We split the difference on published estimates, using career salaries and endorsements as the guide.
4. Lewis Hamilton: Net worth $550 million
Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time world champion and the winningest driver in F1 history. He left Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025 on a deal reported to be worth as much as $100 million a year.
Away from the track he has built a business and investment portfolio, including stakes in sports franchises, a fashion line and a car collection worth tens of millions. He also owns property in New York, London and Monaco.
Nineteen seasons of reported contracts, endorsements and a car and property collection add up to our figure.
3. Michael Schumacher: Net worth $800 million
Michael Schumacher won seven world titles, five of them in a row for Ferrari from 2000 to 2004, and 91 Grand Prix. He retired for good after the 2012 season.
At his peak, his Ferrari salary and sponsorship deals reportedly brought in $80 million to $100 million a year. Estimates of his wealth today run from about $600 million to $800 million.
We built this from peak Ferrari salaries, sponsorship deals, real estate and aircraft, and took the upper end of the published range.
2. Bernie Ecclestone: Net worth $2.5 billion
Bernie Ecclestone raced briefly in the 1950s, then ran the Brabham team from 1971 to 1988 and built Formula 1 into a global business as its commercial rights holder. He is the richest man ever to run Formula 1, and he left the CEO role in 2017 when Liberty Media took over.
He was born in 1930. His fortune comes from the sale of F1 commercial rights over the decades, plus property and other investments.
Our model leans on what the F1 rights sales brought in and on his reported property and investments.
1. Toto Wolff: Net worth $2.7 billion
Toto Wolff raced in Austrian Formula Ford and endurance events before becoming an investor, and he is now CEO and team principal of the Mercedes F1 team. He founded the investment firms Marchfifteen and Marchsixteen, with early stakes in the racing team HWA and in Williams.
He bought into Mercedes in 2013 and now owns about a third of the team, level with Mercedes-Benz and INEOS. In November 2025 he sold part of his holding to a US investor in a deal reported to value the team at about $6 billion, which raised his fortune above every active driver on this list.
The number rests on his remaining Mercedes stake at the reported $6 billion team valuation, plus the cash from the 2025 sale and his investment holdings.
Special mentions
David Coulthard (about $80 million), Lando Norris (the 2025 champion, about $80 million and rising after a new McLaren deal) and Nico Rosberg (about $60 million) just miss the top 15.
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Who is the richest racing driver in history?
Toto Wolff, with an estimated $2.7 billion in October 2026, mostly from his stake in the Mercedes F1 team. Bernie Ecclestone is second at $2.5 billion.
Who is the richest driver who made his money on the track?
Michael Schumacher, at about $800 million, ahead of Lewis Hamilton at about $550 million.
Is Lewis Hamilton still racing?
Yes. He moved from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025 and is a seven-time world champion.
Who is the richest NASCAR driver?
Dale Earnhardt Jr., at about $300 million, followed by Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.
Who joined the list since the last update?
Toto Wolff, Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel and Mario Andretti are new, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso moved up, and David Coulthard, Martin Brundle and Nelson Piquet dropped out.
How are drivers’ net worths estimated?
From reported contracts and endorsements, team and company stakes, property and business sales, compiled in a valuation model.
How we estimate net worth
Our estimates are based on public reporting, company valuations, and deal and earnings figures all compiled in an internal valuation model. They are approximate, and figures change over time as new information emerges.
For this list we leaned on contract values, sales of team and company stakes such as the Mercedes F1 deal, and reported property and business holdings. Where estimates varied widely, we used the mid-to-upper range.
Last updated: October 2026.
