An income of $62.4m for the former ChampionHe may not have won the most recent world championship, but Michael Schumacher is still the highest paid race driver in F1`s pitlane.
The Sport-Informations-Dienst agency has published a list of the sport`s top earners, claiming that the 37-year-old Ferrari star takes home $62.4m per year. Up to $17m is personal sponsorship income.
“Michael is worth every cent of our investment in him,`` Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is quoted as saying.
In sport, only Tiger Woods ($120m) earns more.
Intriguingly, Michael`s younger brother Ralf, 30 (Toyota), is listed as F1`s second highest earner, with a $20.4m coffer.
McLaren`s pair Kimi Raikkonen ($14.4m) and Juan Pablo Montoya ($13.2) come next, followed by Rubens Barrichello ($12m), Jarno Trulli ($9.6m) and the reigning world champion, Fernando Alonso.
Renault`s Alonso will earn `only` $7.2 million in 2006, perhaps explaining his high-pay switch to McLaren at the end of the year.
Behind him is Mark Webber and David Coulthard ($7.2m), with Jenson Button seemingly paying the price for his Williams buy-out by earning the same retainer.
The remainder of the published list is as follows: Giancarlo Fisichella and Nick Heidfeld ($6m), Jacques Villeneuve ($3.6m), Nico Rosberg and Christian Klien ($1.8m).
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