Over the years, MotoGP’s popularity has soared with the intense battles we have been witnessing on track and the riders too are earning their rewards in the millions. 8-time World Champion Marc Marquez leads the list of being the highest-paid rider with the legend, Valentino Rossi right behind him. Riders like Joan Mir, Maverick Vinales, and Alex Rins have all emerged as top riders earning some serious money after brilliant seasons in 2020.
Here’s a list of the top 10 highest-paid riders in the current MotoGP grid:
10. JACK MILLER – $1 Million
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At #10, we have the Australian rider Jack Miller who has been thrilling us this season with his back-to-back victories at the Spanish and the French Grand Prix. The Ducati rider has a base salary of $1 million earning $52,500 a week. Miller recently extended his contract with Ducati keeping him in the team until the end of the 2022 season.
9. JOHANN ZARCO – $2 Million
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Next up, we have Johann Zarco who has a base salary of $2 million dollars, earning $105,200 a week. Out of the nine races this season, Zarco has finished eight of the races inside the top 8 but the rider’s future with Pramac Ducati is uncertain as his contract ends at the end of the current MotoGP season.
8. FABIO QUARTARARO – $2.5 Million
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One name that has been in every MotoGP fan’s mind is Fabio Quartararo who has been flying all season. The Frenchman has four race wins already and has a commanding lead in the Championship by 34 points. The World Championship leader currently has a base salary of $2.5 million and earns $132,500 a week. His current contract lasts till the 2022 season and is very likely to get a pay raise in the coming years.
7. ALEX RINS – $2.5 Million
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Alex Rins also has a base salary of $2.5 million with the same weekly salary as Quartararo. After finishing third in last season’s World Championship, Suzuki offered him a pay raise but the Spanish rider is unable to find his form this season as he currently finds himself sitting 14th on the leaderboard with only two finishes inside the top 10.
6. FRANCO MORBDILLI – $3 Million
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Next up is Franco Morbidelli who also received a pay raise after finishing second in the 2020 MotoGP World Championship. The Petronas Yamaha team is currently paying the Italian a base salary of $3 million with a weekly wage of $158,000. Morbidelli is currently out of MotoGP as he suffered a knee injury after the Dutch Grand Prix.
5. POL ESPARGARO – $3.5 Million
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Pol Esparago was exceptional last season with his KTM and the rider left for Repsol Honda earlier this season with the Honda team offering the Spaniard a base salary of $3.5 million with a weekly wage of $184,500. The rider has not been able to find the same form as he did with KTM, currently lying 12th on the leaderboard with only two finishes inside the top 10.
4. JOAN MIR – $6 Million
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After winning the World Championship last season, Joan Mir became the rider with the highest increment. The Suzuki rider used to earn just $1 million last season and this season, the sum was taken to $6 million which means a weekly sum of a whopping $316,000.
3. MAVERICK VINALES – $8 Million
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Maverick Vinales has been quite inconsistent this season. After winning the first race of the season, the rider who is expected to be on the podium week in week out has just about managed to keep himself in the top 10 places. The Spanish rider currently earns $8 million with a weekly wage of $420,500. Vinales recently made the headlines as he has decided to part ways with Yamaha at the end of this season. No matter where the Spaniard ends up next season, he’s expected to have a similar salary or maybe even an increment.
2. VALENTINO ROSSI – $10 Million
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Valentino Rossi is one of the greats in the sport. In his 21 years long career with MotoGP, the Italian has bagged a total of seven World Championships. Despite having back-to-back poor seasons with the Petronas Yamaha Team, Rossi gets a base salary of $10 million dollars with a weekly wage of $530,000. His future with the sport remains questionable and some rumors suggest that this season could be the end of Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP career.
1. MARC MARQUEZ – $12 Million
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At #1 we have the ‘The Thunder of Cervera’. After missing the whole of last season due to injury, Marc Marquez returned to MotoGP at the Portuguese Grand Prix and is slowly finding his way back to the top with an amazing win under his belt too in 2021. The 8-time World Champion currently earns a monumental $12 million a year with a weekly wage of $631,000.
[Image Credit: Marc Marquez]
Shashank Iyer