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Max Verstappen had to wait until the season’s third-to-last Grand Prix, to clinch the drivers’ championship.
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen (X)
Max Verstappen had an exceptional 2024 season, securing his fourth consecutive championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November. This victory not only solidified his position as one of the greats in Formula 1 but also placed him alongside legends like Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton, all with four championships.
Verstappen’s accomplishments extend beyond the racetrack. According to a Forbes article, he has also broken records off the track. For the third year in a row, Verstappen has been named Formula One’s highest-paid driver, with an estimated income of $75 million for 2024. This total includes a record-setting $60 million salary, as well as $15 million in performance bonuses.
The Forbes article reported that Max Verstappen has been $18 million ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who recorded around $55 million in salary and $2 million in bonuses. McLaren’s Lando Norris rose to the third position in earnings with an estimated $35 million, as per Forbes.
Last season, Max Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races but had to wait until the Las Vegas Grand Prix to clinch the drivers’ championship. The four-time champion and the youngest driver ever to reach 200 career races recently talked about his future.
“At the moment, I have a contract until [2028]. I’ll be thirty-one years old at the end of it. Of course that is still very young, but of course I started when I was seventeen. That’s a long time in Formula 1,” Max Verstappen told Road & Track.
“For me, it also depends on how the new cars will be to drive from ’26 onwards. Are they enjoyable to drive? The number of races, how much you’re away from home, it’s demanding. It doesn’t matter if you’re very successful or not, for me, that doesn’t matter. Of course, we’ve won already a lot in Formula 1,” Max Verstappen added.
Max Verstappen followed up his Formula 1 driver’s title with his ninth win of last year at the Qatar Grand Prix. In 2025, Liam Lawson will be seen partnering with world champion Verstappen at Red Bull. Lawson is set to replace Sergio Perez.