It could be announced as early as this week that Max Verstappen will extend his contract with Red Bull for the long term, at a cost of 50 million euros per season
Max Verstappen is apparently close to signing a big-money contract extension that will tie him to Red Bull for the long term. This is reported by the respected newspaper ‘De Telegraaf’, which is known for its close ties to the Verstappen camp.
According to the report, the Dutchman would be worth up to 50 million euros per season to the team. Such a pay rise would put him on a salary par with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who is tied to Mercedes until the end of next year, following his World Championship success last year.
Verstappen’s current Red Bull contract runs until the end of 2023, but after his title win it became clear that both he and the team are interested in extending their relationship for a much longer period.
In the immediate aftermath of his title win at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year, Verstappen said of the Red Bull team, “I think they know I love them. And I hope we can do that together for ten to 15 years.”
There was no reason for him to switch, the world champion stressed at the time. “I want to stay with them for the rest of my life. I hope they will let me. Christian, but also Helmut, gave me their trust when I joined the team in 2016. Our goal was to win the championship and we did that.”
While there has been no official statement from Red Bull on a possible new Verstappen contract, ‘De Telegraaf’ suggests that an announcement could come as early as this week. The exact length is not known, but it looks like Verstappen will stay until the end of 2027 or 2028.
Verstappen has been part of Red Bull since he made his Formula One debut for Toro Rosso at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix. The following year he was promoted to the senior team at the Spanish Grand Prix and immediately secured his first Formula One victory after a controversial collision between the two Mercedes drivers.