Red Bull boss responds to Nico Rosberg’s $80m Max Verstappen F1 salary claim
Red Bull has shut down gossip about how much Max Verstappen is earning in his new F1 deal.
Red Bull Formula 1 team principal Laurent Mekies has shut down suggestions that Max Verstappen’s new pay packet is worth $80million.
Ahead of his home Dutch Grand Prix, Red Bull announced that Verstappen had signed a new contract extension to commit his future to the team until at least the end of 2030.
The new deal should put an end to rampant speculation surrounding Verstappen’s future after he was heavily linked with a switch to McLaren and Mercedes in recent times.
No official salary details relating to Verstappen’s new contract have been revealed, but it is understood that the 28-year-old Dutchman has earned a pay rise.
During the Zandvoort weekend, Nico Rosberg said he has heard that Verstappen is now earning “$80m a year”. The 2016 world champion put this gossip to Mekies during an interview with Sky Sports F1.
“So, Laurent, I hear from Max’s camp also that one of the reasons was because they really like the way you have taken over the team, you know, the culture you’re putting in there and how you’re driving this forward. So, congrats on that,” Rosberg said to Mekies.
“But, I have to ask also, what I hear is $80 million a year. Is that true? Is that number close? Like, that’s a big number.”
A smiling Mekies, who took over at the helm of Red Bull following Christian Horner’s sacking in July last year, replied: “So, both statements are not correct.
“It’s down really to the trust that Max has in the 2,000 people we have in Milton Keynes, chassis side, PU side, and he knows what our people are capable of and he has chosen to put his trust in us for the future.
“So, we will try to pay him back for that. He’s much more than just the fastest driver in the world for us, and we’ll try to make sure we give him a fast car as soon as possible.”
It turned out to be a disappointing final race in the Netherlands for Verstappen, who suffered a monster crash at the end of the opening lap of Sunday’s grand prix.
On signing his new Red Bull contract, Verstappen said: "I always said - and I said this when Dietrich [Mateschitz, the late Red Bull co-owner] was still alive - my goal and target is to finish my career in this team. We are getting close to that.
"Of course, there's still a lot of years ahead, but that's still the target."
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