Everyone knows sports stars make good money, but how much do they earn per minute relative to the time they spend competing?

Lewis Hamilton is the most successful Formula 1 driver ever. Not only that, but he is also one of the biggest stars on the planet. And that pays…

The Briton receives a base salary from Mercedes AMG Petronas of $40m per season, not too shabby.

However, with the new season just over the horizon, a recent study by BonusFinder wanted to take that knowledge a step further and work out what Hamilton, and other F1 drivers, will earn per minute they are out on track.

To gain a full overview of their salaries, they compiled data from the upcoming 2022 season, considering: the track time in minutes, number of laps, length in km, and distance in km.

The results show that Hamilton earns an eye-watering $18, 357.04 per minute. A feat matched on the grid by only arch-rival Max Verstappen, who earns an identical amount following the signing of his new contract earlier this week.

Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button defend Michael Masi after Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton

Max Verstappen celebrates after winning in Abu Dhabi

Before signing the new deal, Verstappen was on just under $11,500, which again,
isn’t to be scoffed at.

The duo take home more than double that of the third highest paid F1 driver in Fernando Alonso, which just goes to show their dominance in the sport.

How much do they earn compared to other elite athletes?

Cristiano Ronaldo played approximately 4,609 minutes for Juventus last season and took home a tidy $35.9 million dollars.

However, when breaking that down, that puts CR7 on around $7,797.91 per minute, which is roughly $10.6k less than the F1 stars.

SCARPERIA, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 13: Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Tuscany at Mugello Circuit on September 13, 2020 in Scarperia, Italy. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Golden State Warriors icon Steph Curry took home the most out of any of the athletes, earning a mighty $45.8m. Having only spent 2521 minutes on court, that means Steph gets paid $21,273.23 per minute.

Talk about the definition of a baller.

Then again, with the amount of three-pointers that guy hits, he probably earns it.