Alonso tops list of highest earning motorsports drivers

ALONSO

The Formula One circus rolls into Singapore in two weeks’ time. The city-state, acknowledged as having one of the highest per capita number of millionaires in the world, will find its ranks joined by quite a few more. At least three multimillionaires will be working on that weekend: F1 drivers who are among the highest-paid athletes in motorsports.

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso tops the list of top-earning drivers in motorsports, according to Forbes. The Spanish driver tallied $30 million in earnings in the year from June 2012 to 2013.  That’s one leaderboard where he is way ahead of current F1 points leader Sebastian Vettel. Vettel comes in at eighth, with a mere $18 million in earnings. Alonso is the 19th-top earning athlete, behind Manny Pacquiao (No. 14), and ahead of Maria Sharapova (No. 22) and Rafael Nadal (No. 30).

The publication looked at earnings from salaries, bonuses, endorsements, and the drivers’ shares of prize and licensing money. Here’s how Forbes tallied the list:

1. Fernando Alonso: Ferrari, Formula One

$30 million, total earnings; $28-million salary and $2 million from endorsements, including kitchen countertops, Ferrari cologne and Fiat cars

Alonso has topped this list since at least 2010. His current contract with Ferrari extends to 2016. His earnings are on the level of Michael Schumacher during the German’s last year in Formula One, also at $30 million.

2. Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes, Formula One

$27.5 million, total earnings; $26-million salary, $1.5 million from endorsements

That’s enough to buy plenty of earrings, bulldogs and Pussycat Dolls concert tickets. Hamilton is one of the most marketable drivers in the sport, according to the article.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Hendrick Motorsports, Nascar

$26 million, total earnings; $13-million salary, $13 million from endorsements

Fans voted Earnhardt as Nascar’s most popular driver for the 10th straight year in 2012. No wonder he earns a lot from merchandise and licensing.

4. Jimmie Johnson: Hendrick Motorsports, Nascar

$24 million, total earnings; $17.3-million salary, $6.7 million from endorsements

5. Valentino Rossi: Yamaha Motor, MotoGP

$22 million, total earnings; $12-million salary, $10 million from endorsements

Rossi ranks first in MotoGP victories with 80 wins and took pay cut to return to Yamaha after two disappointing seasons with Ducati.

6. Tony Stewart: Stewart-Haas Racing, Nascar

$18.5 million, total earnings; $12.5-million salary, $6 million from endorsements

Stewart broke his leg in a race in August, cutting short his 2013 season.

7. Jeff Gordon: Hendrick Motorsports, Nascar

$18.2 million, total earnings; $12.7-million salary, $5.5 million from endorsements

VETTEL

Gordon partly owns Jimmie Johnson’s car, which captured five straight championship wins from 2006 to 2010.

8.  Sebastian Vettel: Red Bull, Formula One

$18 million, total earnings; $17-million salary, $1 million from endorsements

His winning ways have added a lot to his bonus tally this year.

9. Danica Patrick

PATRICK

$15 million, total earnings; $6-million salary, $9 million from endorsements

Patrick took pole position in the Daytona 500 and finished 8th in the race, the highest finish ever for the race by a female driver. She also has the celebrity record for 12 Super Bowl commercials for the Internet company Go Daddy.

10. Jenson Button: McLaren, Formula One

$14 million, total earnings; $14-million salary, none from endorsements

Surely, Button’s manager can sign him up for more advertisements. Just don’t have him strip for a shampoo commercial, which was voted one of the worst endorsement ads of that year.

That may be a pittance when compared to what certain congressmen and senators, as well as Janet Lim-Napoles, have allegedly pocketed. The earnings also pale when compared to other athletes on the Forbes list, such as Tiger Woods, who earned $78.1 million; Roger Federer, $71 million; and Kobe Bryant, $61.9 million. Pacquiao earned $34 million for the same year.

But it’s still plenty of reward for those who have the racing cockpit as their office.