Red Bull boss Helmut Marko has warned he “doesn’t’ know” if rumours Max Verstappen’s contract is valued the same as Lewis Hamilton’s are true. Verstappen is understood to have penned a deal worth £40million a year, matching that of Hamilton.
The Dutchman’s new contract was a substantial pay rise after he won the 2021 drivers’ title in Abu Dhabi. The deal could even be double what Verstappen was paid before he won the world title.
Hamilton’s current contract runs out at the end of 2023 and if the seven-time champion walks away from the sport, Verstappen will be the highest-paid driver on the grid. Addressing rumours on whether the deal was the same as Hamilton’s, Marko told Dutch magazine Formule 1: “I don’t know if that’s true, because I don’t know Hamilton’s contract.
“It seems normal to me that Max will earn more as world champion. I am proud of what Max has achieved.”
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However, the Briton said he doesn’t plan on being in F1 at that stage in a hint he is nearing the end of his F1 career.
He said: “I haven’t thought about that number, because I’m 37, a bit to go! I don’t plan being here close to that age. Hopefully, I’ll have something else fun to do.”
Both drivers have had poor starts to the new season for different reasons. Hamilton is struggling to extract pace from his new Mercedes car with the team third-fastest on the track.
Meanwhile, Verstappen has been plagued by technical glitches and has not finished two of the last three races.
