Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 salary for the season has been revealed – and it shows a staggering bonus payment of $25 million (£20m). The driver has won his third consecutive World Championship this year and he is taking in more in bonuses than some drivers make in two years.
Verstappen has enjoyed yet another stellar season while racing under Red Bull. The 26-year-old ended the year with 19 wins and 21 podium finishes overall to his name en route to winning a third World Championship of his career.
While the Dutch driver’s exploits on the tarmac helped him to assert his dominance as the top driver of the year, he is also ahead of the pack when it comes to getting paid. Following the season’s end, Forbes revealed its annual Formula 1 highest-paid drivers list with Verstappen miles ahead.
Verstappen’s salary, according to the report, comes in at a total of $70 million (£55m) – a base salary of $45, (£36m) with $25m (£20m) earned in bonuses.
It’s not surprising to see that Verstappen has his bonus quota having broken several record in a dominant season. His 19 wins saw him beat his previous record of 15 wins last season, and his 290-point lead in the standings barely compares to Sebastian Vettel’s 155-point lead in 2013.
Coming in a close second is Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton with a cool $55m (£43m) to his name following the end of the year. Hamilton’s salary is £7m more than his rivals, but he was awarded no bonus payments in a season that saw him finish third with six podium finishes and no wins.
Rounding off the top three is Aston Martin’s veteran driver Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard enjoyed eight podium finishes and was awarded $34m (£27m) for his efforts – a base salary of $24m (£19m) and a further $10m (£7m) in bonuses.
Having finished second in the season’s rankings – with two wins and nine podiums – Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez comes in fourth with a collective $26m (£20m). Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finishes the top five with a combined salary of $19m (£15), £5m less than Verstappen’s bonus.
Lando Norris (£12m), Carlos Sainz (£11m), George Russell (£7m), Pierre Gasly (£6m) and Oscar Piastri (£6m) make up the rest of the top ten highest earners.
Although Verstappen can boast the highest earnings of the season he is still behind several other famous faces from the world of sport. Earlier in the year, a Forbes report revealed the world’s highest-paid athletes ages 25 and under, with Verstappen making the list having turned 26 months after the report.
Topping the list was Paris Saint-Germain and France forward Kylian Mbappe with $120m (£95m) to his name. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray came in second with a total of $70.5m (£56m) earned.
Verstappen’s $64m (£50m) at the time earned him a third place spot which was followed by Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (£41m) and Dallas Mavericks’ NBA star Luka Doncic (£37m).
