Max Verstappen has been on the news lately for his extravagant new contract. The Dutchman has signed a lucrative new deal with his team Red Bull. The contract makes the defending F1 Champion one of the highest-paid athletes in the sport.

Apart from the heavy salary, the Red Bull driver also earns massively from his own endorsements, sponsorships, and merchandise sales. Currently, it’s athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, or Floyd Mayweather who are considered to be some of the highest-paid athletes in their respective sports.

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However, if Max continues to earn on such a massive scale and manages to give out his best, the Dutchman can easily get himself into this elite category. If not Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen might be able to make it as the only driver on the list.

Why such a lucrative deal for Max Verstappen?

Max has become a hot topic of discussion globally after his maiden F1 victory in 2021. The Dutchman defeated Lewis to snatch the title away from him last year. This extraordinary feat has not only fetched him such a lucrative deal at Red Bull but also helped the team attract sponsors. The Austrian team’s new title sponsorship deal with Oracle is worth $300 million over five years. Apart from that, Bybit has also recently invested in the 4-time Constructor’s Champions.

As per the contract, Verstappen will earn a whopping $2.4 million per race. This is surely a massive number, given he’s just 24 years old. His main rival Lewis is now 37 and has seven world titles under his belt. Interestingly, Verstappen’s arch-rival Lewis Hamilton earns about the same from his contract with the Silver Arrows.

The Mercedes man grabbed his lucrative contract last year. Now both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton seem at par on their salary slip.

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Apart from being one of the highest-paid individuals in the current scenario, Max has the chance to reach the top spot globally. It will be interesting to see what the 24-year-old has in stock for his future.