How today’s MotoGP rider salaries compare to Valentino Rossi’s big-money deals

The legend with seven premier class championships earned sums during his glory years which are far in excess of any of today’s riders - or any other rider in history.

Rossi pocketed €30m per year in 2008, 2009 and 2010, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, at the peak of his powers and fame.

In 2012, Rossi was the 20th highest-earning sportsperson in the world with a total earning of $30m.

In 2015, he was named the 14th highest-earning sportsperson over the course of the previous decade, with a total earning of $275m.

That was, and remains, unprecedented territory for a MotoGP rider.

Even when age caught up with him in 2020, one of his worst-ever racing years, Rossi’s earnings totalled €140m - through race prizes, sponsors, earnings from Yamaha, personal merchandise and other businesses to which he was connected.

He was paid only €7m by Yamaha in 2020, a very small wage by his considerable standards, reflecting his competitiveness at the time. That reduced to €4m in his final year in 2021.

Today Rossi’s companies generate a profit of €8m per year.

The highest-earner in MotoGP today is Marc Marquez.

He pockets €12.5m per year from Honda, on a contract which runs until the end of 2024, Cuatro report.

But his total annual earnings are €40m thanks to his other sponsorships from major brands.

These were the annual salaries of every MotoGP rider in 2022, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport:

• Marc Marquez - €12.5m

• Fabio Quartararo - €6m

• Joan Mir - €6m 

• Francesco Bagnaia - €5m

• Pol Espargaro - €3.5m

• Jack Miller, Alex Rins , Franco Morbidelli  - €3m

• Johann Zarco - €2m

• Maverick Vinales - €2m*

• Aleix Espargaro - €2m*

• Alex Marquez, Jorge Martin - €1m

• Miguel Oliveira - €625,000

• Takaaki Nakagami, Brad Binder - €500,000

• Enea Bastianini , Fabio di Giannantonio - €375,000

• Luca Marini - €300,000

• Darryn Binder, Marco Bezzecchi, Raul Fernandez, Remy Gardner - €250,000

By contrast, the highest-paid in the list of F1 driver salaries is reportedly Max Verstappen ($55m / £45m).

While Lewis Hamilton is in the process of negotiating a new Mercedes contract which could reportedly be worth £40m per year.

Verstappen and Hamilton were the only motorsports representatives on the recent list of the 50 highest-paid athletes in the world, by Forbes.

The lowest on the list was NFL legend Tom Brady whose total earnings from May 2022 to May 2023 were $45.2m, meaning no MotoGP rider earned more than that.