Peter Bonnington
Mercedes Salary
Head of Race Engineering and Race Engineer to Kimi Antonelli
How Much Peter Bonnington Earns at Mercedes
We put Peter Bonnington’s Mercedes base salary at £250k-600k ($331k-795k), above a normal race engineer’s band because he also heads the race engineering department. A bonus of £25k-180k ($33k-239k) takes his year to £275k-780k ($364k-1m).
A £1m ($1.3m) salary for Bono turns up in one online roundup, but nothing in it shows where the number came from. The 2024 reports linking him with Ferrari, where Lewis Hamilton was heading, didn’t include a figure either.
Anonymous motorsport pay survey behind the race engineering benchmarks and the 10% to 30% bonus range used for Bonnington.
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Insider · Issue 23
01 · The Last Race
Singapore by Salary
Pos
Driver
Pts
Salary
1
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
25
$70m
2
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
18
$34m
3
Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
15
$3.4m
4
Lando Norris
McLaren
12
$30m
5
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
10
$13m
6
Insider+
7
Insider+
Our Take · Insider+
What Each Point Now Costs Red Bull
Bono's Two Jobs at Mercedes
Bonnington does two jobs at Mercedes. As head of race engineering he runs the department that engineers both cars, including Marcus Dudley on George Russell’s side of the garage. He’s also still on the radio himself as Kimi Antonelli‘s race engineer, in charge of his setup and feedback.
He and trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin go back to Honda in 2006. What he brings to a young driver is 12 seasons on Lewis Hamilton’s car, six drivers’ titles among them.
Reports that Bono would stay at Mercedes rather than follow Hamilton to Ferrari in 2024.
Covers the August 2024 promotion that made Bonnington head of race engineering at Mercedes.
Bono Against the Grid's Other Lead Race Engineers
Few F1 race engineers combine a driver’s radio with a whole department. McLaren’s Will Joseph does, and sits on £200k-450k ($265k-596k). Red Bull’s Gianpiero Lambiase is higher at £350k-800k ($464k-1.1m) as head of racing, which leaves Bono’s band between the two.
Peter 'Bono' Bonnington's F1 Career So Far
Bonnington’s F1 career began at Jordan in 2004, and he has since engineered Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and now Kimi Antonelli.
Bono Among the Mercedes Engineering Leaders
Within Mercedes, Bono’s band sits above Marcus Dudley’s £100k-180k ($133k-239k) because of the department he runs, and below Andrew Shovlin, whose package is around £1m ($1.3m). Toto Wolff tops the team at £4m-7m ($5.3m-9.3m).
Peter Bonnington Salary and Net Worth FAQs
Peter Bonnington is paid a base of £250k-600k ($331k-795k) at Mercedes on F1 Salaries’ figures, higher than a typical race engineer because he also heads race engineering. A bonus of £25k-180k ($33k-239k) takes his year to £275k-780k ($364k-1m). Mercedes doesn’t publish the real number.
Bono is Peter Bonnington, Mercedes’ head of race engineering and race engineer to Kimi Antonelli. He spent 12 seasons on Lewis Hamilton’s radio, where “Hammer time” became his best-known call, and the pair won six drivers’ titles together between 2014 and 2020.
Mercedes kept Peter Bonnington by promoting him. The team announced him as head of race engineering in August 2024, while Lewis Hamilton was preparing to leave for Ferrari and reports linked Bono with the same move. Nobody has said whether Ferrari made him an offer or what it would have been worth.
Bono also runs Mercedes’ whole race engineering department, so Peter Bonnington’s job goes well beyond engineering Kimi Antonelli. That department covers both cars, including Marcus Dudley’s work as George Russell’s race engineer. He’s combined the two jobs since Antonelli’s debut in 2025.
Peter Bonnington’s net worth has never been credibly reported. Nobody has published his assets or debts, and his contract terms are private, so sites quoting a figure are guessing. The clearest guide to his money is his pay, which F1 Salaries puts at £250k-600k ($331k-795k) a year before bonus.
Kimi Antonelli is Peter Bonnington’s current driver. Before him, Bono engineered Lewis Hamilton from 2013 to 2024 and Michael Schumacher from mid-2011 to 2012. Earlier he worked on Jenson Button’s car at Honda and Brawn, including Button’s 2009 title year, and his F1 career began at Jordan in 2004.