Max Verstappen’s sensational 2023 campaign has resulted in him topping another leaderboard, for being the highest-paid Formula 1 driver this year.
After claiming a third consecutive Drivers’ Championship, it’s been reported that the Dutchman will have earnt $70 million come the end of the year, with a huge sum of that being purely bonuses.
His base salary on his contract is $45 million, meaning he’s received $25 million this year just in bonuses.
It’s a staggering figure which is clear of the likes of seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, whilst the 26-year-old is supposedly set for a further pay increase in 2024.
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According to Forbes, 2024 marks the start of Verstappen’s new contract, which expires at the end of 2028.
As part of his new deal, Forbes understand that the 2023 World Champion will receive an increase on his salary, although the exact figure is yet to be confirmed.
Verstappen earning the amount he has this year shouldn’t come as a shock, as he destroyed most records in existence.
To name a few, the Red Bull star broke the record for most wins in a season, most wins in a row, most point scores and percentage of wins in campaign.
The first two records he was already the holder of, after making them his own in 2022.
Verstappen cruised to a record-breaking 19 wins in 2023, 10 of which came consecutively, eclipsing Sebastian Vettel’s 2013 record of nine wins on the bounce.
Following his 19th win of 2023 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen reached 575 points, 121 points more than he managed in 2022 (454).
His points tally was so high in fact, that Red Bull would’ve still won the Constructors’ Championship by 166 points purely on his points alone.
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His huge number of race wins meant he was victorious in 86.4 per cent of the completed races this year, surpassing Alberto Ascari’s 75 per cent achieved in 1952.
To cap it all off, he led 1,003 of the 1,325 laps completed in the 2023 season, another record which the Dutchman is now the holder of.
It was a campaign which will be looked back on in complete awe, with it being the most dominant season arguably ever seen in the history of the sport.