Which F1 stars were worth the money?
As the 2025 Formula One season wraps up, the championship standings are only part of the conversation. In a sport operating under strict financial regulations though notably excluding driver salaries from the cost cap questions of value inevitably follow performance.
An analysis published this week by PlanetF1 compared each driver’s estimated salary with the number of points they scored during the season, producing a “cost per point” metric across the grid. Because F1 contracts are private, all salary figures are industry estimates rather than officially disclosed numbers.
On paper, it’s a blunt calculation: earnings divided by points scored. In practice, it offers a revealing if incomplete snapshot of return on investment.
Even champions carry a price tag
The figures show that success does not automatically equal efficiency.
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Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were among the season’s highest scorers, yet their substantial reported earnings placed them inside the top 10 for cost per point. Norris, who secured the drivers’ championship with seven wins, registered $135,934 per point based on salary estimates. For McLaren, that number is unlikely to prompt concern given it delivered the team’s first drivers’ title since 2008.
Charles Leclerc ranked 10th at $123,967 per point. He finished fifth overall and frequently maximized results in a Ferrari that was not consistently the quickest package. Still, with earnings reported around $30 million, his statistical return trails several lower-paid competitors.
The midfield equation
The numbers become more striking further down the standings.
Esteban Ocon’s campaign at Haas translated to $157,895 per point. Carlos Sainz Jr collected 64 points in his first year at Williams, helping the team move forward competitively, but his reported $13 million salary equated to $203,125 per point.
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Franco Colapinto’s situation underscores the limitations of the metric. After replacing Jack Doohan mid-season at Alpine, he did not score, leaving him without a measurable return under this formula. Mid-year substitutions, however, often reflect broader team performance issues rather than a single driver’s output.
The costliest returns
At the top end of the ranking were several established names.
Lance Stroll recorded $409,091 per point in a challenging year for Aston Martin, scoring 33 points while being consistently out-qualified by teammate Fernando Alonso.
Lewis Hamilton’s first season at Ferrari produced 156 points but no podium finishes. With earnings estimated at $70.5 million, his cost per point stood at $451,923. Alonso followed at $473,214 per point despite maintaining an edge over Stroll in qualifying trim.
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Pierre Gasly topped the list at $545,455 per point. The Alpine driver scored 22 points including a sixth-place finish at Silverstone yet the combination of team struggles and his comparatively higher salary left him last in PlanetF1’s efficiency ranking.
More than a spreadsheet exercise
Cost per point is, by design, unforgiving. It measures output, not leadership in the garage, technical feedback, marketing value, or long-term development influence factors that teams weigh heavily when negotiating contracts.
In modern Formula One, value rarely fits neatly into a single equation.
Source: PlanetF1
