Max Verstappen’s huge Red Bull contract sees him join exclusive Forbes rich list

Max Verstappen already ranks among the world’s highest-paid athletes, and now he has made the cut for an even more exclusive list.

Verstappen has risen to the summit of Formula 1 in recent years, becoming now very much the driver to beat as a two-time World Champion.

And already a mighty effort elsewhere on the grid will be needed to deny the Red Bull star a third World Championship crown in as many years.

It is no surprise then that Verstappen’s current stranglehold on Formula 1 has brought plenty of benefits in the finance department as well.

He would join his 2021 title rival Lewis Hamilton on Forbes’ most recent top 50 highest-earning athletes list, marking a two-pronged Formula 1 attack.

But, while Verstappen ranked number 26 on that list, factoring age in as well, plus updated earnings information, has seen Verstappen stand alone in Formula 1 terms in a fresh Forbes ranking.

Forbes have revealed the world’s highest-paid athletes who are under the age of 25, and while Verstappen does not claim victory here in a rare twist of events for his standards, the Dutchman has nonetheless made the podium.

With Forbes stating that Verstappen receives “lucrative bonuses” from Red Bull for race wins and title success, his earnings on the track come in at an estimated whopping $60 million, with an additional $4m coming from endorsements. Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull currently runs all the way through until the end of the 2028 season and is believed to be highest-paid driver in the sport.

That is enough to place Verstappen P3 in the standings of this particular Forbes list.

PlanetF1.com recommends

Ferrari: ‘Red Bull doing something very, very clever’ with their RB19

Eddie Jordan accuses Fernando Alonso of ‘chasing the money’ in F1 career

Ahead of him at number two is Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who also aged 25 like Verstappen, pockets an estimated $67m for his work on the field, plus an additional $3.5m from endorsements.

The person number one on this list though takes that spot by quite some margin, and the individual in question is none other than Paris Saint-Germain football/soccer star Kylian Mbappé.

At the age of 24, Mbappé is loving life on a salary worth $100m with his base pay and bonuses combined. Just to boost that up a little further, he also pockets an estimated $20m on top from some huge sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike and Dior.

Verstappen has some way to go if he is to trouble those kind of numbers, but we’re sure he is managing just fine!