Max Verstappen would have every sporting reason to continue his adventure with Red Bull, but the financial terms of his new contract may also have influenced his decision.
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The Dutchman is indeed about to receive one of the biggest salaries in the history of the sport.
According to information provided by Marc Limacher, a self-proclaimed Formula 1 finance specialist whose credibility remains to be proven, Red Bull would have made a spectacular effort to secure the future of its four-time world champion.
From 2027, Verstappen would receive a fixed annual salary of 92 million euros, to which various bonuses related notably to his performances would be added.
Among the highest-paid athletes in the world
These could raise his income up to 115 million euros per season: “I hear that Max Verstappen should receive an annual salary of 92 million euros from 2027 at Red Bull Racing, with bonuses that will allow him to reach 115 million euros per season”, says Limacher, without specifying his sources.
The total value of the contract would thus reach the staggering sum of 460 million euros. If these figures are confirmed, Verstappen would completely change his financial dimension. With a potential of 115 million euros per season, the Red Bull driver would notably surpass the announced salaries of Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, and his rival Lewis Hamilton.
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Excluding disciplines where bonuses and occasional winnings constitute an essential part of income – like boxing – only Cristiano Ronaldo currently has a more lucrative sports contract, thanks to his engagement with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. The main external sign of Verstappen’s wealth: his Dassault Falcon 8X private jet worth about 50 million euros (photo above).
Home celebration
While his future had fueled many speculations and Mercedes and McLaren had notably been mentioned as potential destinations, the Milton Keynes team would therefore have pulled out all the stops to keep its star driver.
The announcement came at a particularly symbolic moment as Verstappen returned this weekend to Zandvoort for his home Grand Prix. Since the return of the Dutch Grand Prix to the calendar in 2021, the Dutchman has won there three times in a row before finishing second in 2024 and third in 2025, exiting through the back door after the known retirement on Sunday.
Despite this rare incident, Verstappen could now approach this new phase of his career at the age of 28 with an additional certainty: Red Bull seems ready to invest a fortune to build its future around him.
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