Revealed: Max Verstappen’s staggering annual pay-packet - and how he earned it
The Red Bull F1 driver has been included in a new Forbes list, ranking the world’s highest-paid athletes under the age of 25.
Forbes’ 2023 highest-paid athletes under the age of 25
- Kylian Mbappe - $120m (£97m)
- Kyler Murray - $70.5m (£57m)
- Max Verstappen - $64m (£51m)
- Erling Haaland - $52m (£42m)
- Luka Doncic - $47.2m (£38m)
Verstappen is third highest-paid, above him are No2 Kyler Murray the NFL star, and N1 Kylian Mbappe the Paris-Saint Germain footballer. He is the 22nd highest-earning athlete of the past year, of all ages.
Verstappen’s riches are due to the “substantial raise” he earned when signing his latest contract with Red Bull in March 2022, the report states.
However, his total of $64m (£52m) included bonus payments.
He is “believed to receive lucrative bonuses for race wins as well as the season-long title”, Forbes report.
Last season Verstappen won a record 15 grands prix en route to claiming his second consecutive championship.
This year he has already won three of the first five grands prix.
“Forbes’ on-field earnings figures include all prize money, salaries and bonuses earned between May 1, 2022, and May 1, 2023,” the report explains.
Verstappen’s on-field earnings were $60m.
“Off-field earnings figures are an estimate of sponsorship deals, appearance fees and memorabilia and licensing income for the 12 months leading to May 1, 2023, plus cash returns from any businesses operated by the athlete, based on conversations with industry insiders. Forbes does not include investment income such as interest payments or dividends but does account for payouts from equity stakes athletes have sold.”
Verstappen’s off-field earnings were $4m.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
