Marko sees obstacle in contract extension: "Max's salary close to limit"

Max Verstappen's current contract at Red Bull Racing still runs until the end of 2023, but after capturing his first world title there is already plenty of speculation about a contract change. Both parties would like to continue with each other, but according to Helmut Marko there is an obstacle.

The Red Bull Racing advisor argues that there is no huge salary increase in store for the Dutchman. "With Max we are already almost at the limit in terms of salary," Marko stated in conversation with Austria's Autorevue.

Salary for Verstappen has reached maximum

According to Forbes, the world champion earned as much as 22 million euros in 2021. The many bonuses he received from Red Bull are not included. Including bonuses, the amount would be around 40 million euros.

Besides the fact that the 24-year-old Limburger is already pretty well off, a salary cap for the drivers is possibly also in line with expectations for the 2023 Formula 1 season. The maximum salary would reportedly be $30 million. Verstappen currently earns $27 million.

Something Marko is in any case not afraid of is a possible switch of the world champion to competitor Mercedes. For that, according to Marko, too much has happened, with Silverstone as the low point. After this, the contact between Verstappen and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, who before that still kept regular contact, was over.