The 2017 Formula One driver salaries contain some very surprising, staggering figures. None more so than the difference in salary between promising driver Max Verstappen and some of his more seasoned rivals.

F1 drivers probably earn their wedge more than many of the world’s most overpaid sports stars–they are risking their lives after all. Fernando Alonso is top of the list with his $40 million, but how close does everyone else come?

What Fando can buy with $40 million:

– 280 McLaren 570S sportscars

– 2/5 of Ecclestone’s German Court Payment

-6,666,667 packs of Just For Men Beard dye

-148 houses in the UK

-1,588 state-of-the-art Sony Pmw-F55 cinema cameras for his camera assistant ambitions

-80,000 Iberico Ham joints

Driver salaries for the 2017 season:

1.BullsJazz

2.RED Yoda

Source: Riot Games Flickr

3.Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

$8,500,000 (plus bonuses) - Bottas is up 5-mil a year following his move from Williams.

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5.FNC Caps 2

Source: Riot Games Flickr

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Image source/Twitter

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Source: HLTV

8.Paschabiceps

9.Rengar Ban 1 (aspect)

10.P1 Inori

Credit: Riot eSports Flickr

11.CLG Aphromoo

Source: Riot Games Flickr

12.h2k-jankos

Source: Riot Games Flickr

13.Biermann 5

Nice. (Source: Instagram)

14.Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)

$285,000 - Raking it in despite a pointless campaign in 2016.

15.Esteban Ocon (Force India)

$185,000 - A lot of dosh, may have to be taken away to pay off Vijay Mallya's debts...

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17.eUnited Header

Source: Riot Games Flickr

In terms of points-to-salary, Max Verstappen is the most cost-effective driver to have on the grid. The Red Bull driver’s earnings are small in comparison to Ferrari and Mercedes, but in the real world, all of these salaries are huge.