'Verstappen would break the 100 million salary barrier with new Red Bull deal'

Ahead of the race weekend in Zandvoort, the rumor was that Verstappen would earn about ten million euros more than he does now. The 28-year-old’s salary was estimated at 60 million euros per year, which would then rise to 70 million euros. Reportedly, that would already put Verstappen ahead of what Hamilton earns at Ferrari. According to rumors, the seven-time world champion receives around sixty million euros per year.

F1 journalist Joe Saward now reports that Verstappen’s salary has been increased by a much larger amount. According to the Brit, Verstappen currently earns 75 million dollars per year, a little over 64 million euros. That agreement was signed at the beginning of 2022 and was a five-year extension of an earlier contract. The contract was originally set to run from 2024 through 2028. In that period he won two more world championships, further increasing his value.

The new contract is reportedly worth a base salary of around 100 million dollars, with bonuses potentially pushing that amount to over 120 million dollars. That equals roughly 102 million euros per year. That would make Verstappen’s salary the highest on the grid. Hamilton would still rank second on that list. Reportedly, Charles Leclerc is the third-highest paid driver, earning 29 million euros per year.

During the press conference at Zandvoort, Verstappen was also questioned about the clauses and conditions included in his contract. The four-time world champion refused to reveal any details, maintaining his long-standing position of keeping the contents of his Red Bull agreement private.

His father Jos, meanwhile, stressed that Red Bull now needs to rediscover its performance and return to the level expected of the team. However, confidence in the project remains, with Verstappen Sr indicating that this belief played an important role in the decision to commit to a new deal.

Former Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko also believes Verstappen set clear conditions before committing his future to the team until the end of 2030. Should the Dutchman see out the entirety of his new deal, he will have spent 15 seasons racing for Red Bull in Formula 1.

Marko, however, is unsure whether the renewed commitment and mutual confidence between the two sides will translate into an immediate improvement on track. The Austrian expects Verstappen to face several potentially difficult circuits in the upcoming races, with Zandvoort already offering an indication of the challenges Red Bull could encounter.