According to media reports, Max Verstappen is in-line to sign a new deal with Red Bull worth an estimated £40m a year.

If true - and bear in mind one of the sources reporting the amount is the Daily Mail - the world champion would be on around the same salary as seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton.

Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf is claiming that Verstappen has agreed a new four-year deal with Red Bull for around $50m a year, though no sources are quoted.

Despite the ongoing controversy over the events in Abu Dhabi - just how did the FIA reach its ludicrous non-decision on Russian involvement in motorsport in just 24 hours while Abu Dhabi remains unresolved almost three months later - Helmut Marko recently commented on the Dutch driver's value to the team.

"Max has clearly matured," the Austrian told Autorevue recently. "This process of maturity wasn't always so visible from the outside, but it has reached the highest level very quickly.

"You have to remember he's still only 24," he added. "He drives almost flawlessly, he has improved in all areas and is no longer impetuous.

"In the past, he would have liked to do everything on the first lap," he admitted. "If something didn't go right in preparation, he would always explode. Today he stays calm."

Verstappen's bumper pay rise will have been made possible courtesy of a number of deals Red Bull has agreed since Abu Dhabi, not least the reported $500m title sponsorship agreement with Oracle.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 15/03/2022 11:36

"2 Alvarezh3...sorry but I missed your post. Yes rally drivers are also insane but what differences are between bikes and rally cars is that they have a cage to protect them! Moto GP riders have a few mm of leather only and nothing else. I would agree with you that Isle of Man tops the list though. Utter insanity.....spellbinding to watch.

"

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2. Posted by alvarezh3, 07/03/2022 17:38

"@Kenji

Comparing racing on a racetrack, I would say that motorcycle racing is much more dangerous than on a car, yes. BTW, unexpected winner in Qatar yesterday, eh?

OTOH those rally guys traveling at 100+ KPH on a snow covered trail surrounded by pine trees sometimes 2 to 3 yards away from your path is dangerously crazy. And if that is not enough, how about those dirt roads in Turkey sliding close to cliffs hundreds of feet deep, insane. For me, only the Isle of Man motorcycle race gets close to that level of danger.

Rally drivers are my heroes. :-)"

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3. Posted by kenji, 06/03/2022 10:34

"@ Max...Go for it, you won't be disappointed. My association with bike racing goes back to the '50's in WA and as a boy watching the 'round the houses racing' in places like Collie,Northam,Boulder, and Mandurah. Famous road bike marques like Norton,Moto Guzzi and Vincent all mixed in with Royal Enfield and Triumph. Great times.

Surtees was certainly a legend and a great rider. Barry Sheen was also much loved and he lived just a few kms away and Mick Doohan is the same. Casey Stoner was, on the day, one of the very greatest. Watch him at Laguna Seca and see the magic. Rossi was the greatest but I lost interest in him when he went 'dirty'. So many great riders and still they come. They are the real heroes of motorsport IMO despite my lifelong love of F1."

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4. Posted by Max Noble, 06/03/2022 7:55

"@Kenji - I’ve drifted in, and out of following motorbike racing. Barry Sheen was a huge hero back in the UK, back in the day, and Mick Doohan is a legend. I’ve not watched in awhile, and you’re right. I should get calm, get relaxed on the edge of the sofa… and press play! Agree the racing, speed, and skill is insane.

Hence… the legend that is John Surtees…"

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5. Posted by kenji, 06/03/2022 0:16

"@Max....I don't know whether you watch but MotoGP provides more thrills on average in one or two races than an entire season of F1. Just watching them dice and slice within centimetres of each other at maniacal speeds is edge of the settee stuff!!! If you think that F1 drivers are brave they pale into insignificance by comparison.
They do, from time to time have leader runaways but that is not the norm. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys the thrills of wheel to wheel racing with a danger quotient of 99% but not if you regularly experience chest pain. Beware...."

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6. Posted by Max Noble, 05/03/2022 12:17

"@Kenji - Amazing highlight… Really shines a light on risk/reward/sponsor dollars… Also… That’s a load of money, but still “within the bounds of reason”. Respect."

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7. Posted by kenji, 05/03/2022 9:06

"Just so we can keep this debate in perspective...as I said in my opening post, Top Moto GP riders are paid an average of US$6m. If we apply, as one main element, the inherent danger they face then yesterday in FP 1 & 2 the top riders were hitting average top speeds of 355KPH!!! with nothing between them and oblivion if a tyre decides to shred. a big difference...."

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8. Posted by alvarezh3, 05/03/2022 3:39

"@ Defiant @ Kenji:

As expressed before: We live in an unfair world.........And one that is too often influenced/controlled/dominated by inverted principles and values!

G'day, Mates! :-)"

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9. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 04/03/2022 12:45

"Good for Max! Wise investment on Red Bull's part."

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10. Posted by Max Noble, 04/03/2022 10:30

"@spindoctor - nailed. Thanks."

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11. Posted by kenji, 04/03/2022 10:08

"@alvarezh3...thanks for a great response, well crafted. One point was that the teams, especially two of them were critical of the cost cap and that appears to be hypocritical when it comes to outrageous expenses despite salaries being outside of the cost cap. Money still has to be found and it could be utilised far better amongst team members etc etc etc. Even if Verstappen was offered US$25m and that was below the threshold that his management thought was possible, would he have rejected it? IMO no, and if that's correct then why offer it in the first place. Yes.F1 drivers are something special but grossly overcompensated in the real world. You may recall that two teams were holding out for more $$$ if they were to participate in an additional three sprints...then this! All rather hollow anyway not long now and we'll be right back into it."

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12. Posted by Spindoctor, 04/03/2022 8:36

"Finding Max & Lewis's earnings obscene is a natural response. The annual salaries, bonuses & advertising earnings etc. from F1 are surely in the billions. The whole lot of them are, in objective, practical & utilitarian terms worth less than any one of the dedicated & brave medical staff who worked in Covid-infested hospitals for the last 2 years.

Our Capitalist world doesn't reward the right people for the right things. Elon Musk, Bill Gates et al have popularised valuable technologies, but if they hadn't someone else would have. Research & most of the development underpinning their entrepreneurship was funded from the taxes paid by us "ordinary people"
None of the self-styled "Socialist" or "Communist" alternatives have done any better. Worse still are the klepto-capitalist states which have sprung up in Russia & many nations of the old Russian\Soviet empire.

Notwithstanding this grim outlook we in the West are lucky enough to live in a Golden Age & are free to call-out and maybe change the circumstances which encourage such a disparity of wealth. Owing to indolence & complacency our secure lives are increasingly under threat from dark forces like Putin & religious extremism.

I'm happy to be called "woke" because while it's ridiculous that Max 'n Lewis & others are paid hundreds of millions for something as "trivial" as Sport it's not a priority in terms of the issues which are slowly bring us all down...

"

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13. Posted by alvarezh3, 04/03/2022 5:22

"@ Defiant and @Kenji

Gentlemen, I respect and I second your position and your reasoning for your judgement.

@Kenji- I can't give you a reasonable defense on the amount of the salaries 'cause there isn't one. I merely tried to express the causes (mainly: competition for top man power) that force those who pay the salaries to grant such high wages without immersing myself into the justification aspect of the issue.

I suspect that team owners would be very happy to pay lower retainers (who wouldn't?), but somehow they see a justification for those extravagant (excessive, for they are) amounts. Ultimately, they are not braking any laws, so whatever you gents or me consider to be ethical or moral in this case, is something that may or may not be universally accepted (certainly not by those making the payments!). And as we all know, in democratic societies, they are within their right to spend their money as they see fit as long as it's legal. We have probably seen, that in our legal systems (which are not perfect), the words reasonable, ethical and moral not always overrule the law.

As I expressed before, I wanted to concentrate on the element(s) that some teams see to justify their lavish expenditure in reference to the salaries, and purposely abstained in judging them as being reasonable/just/moral/ethical or not.

Hope to have answered your inquiries regarding my postings and truly thank you both for reading them! :-)"

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14. Posted by Max Noble, 04/03/2022 3:04

"@Egalitarian - only just noticed your comment, very amusing :-) That’s why in my articles I tend to refer to him as V. Max. A minor word play on my part as I’m using it to signal Verstappen, Max, and also making the physics pun of Velocity Maximum, which is fitting for Mr. V. … to avoid confusing myself.

…I’m not going to join the conversation on this one…except… to point out that the recently impounded super yacht Dilbar is longer, and wider than an Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer, and close to double the weight… You need serious dollars to purchase that sort of runabout… Hello 21st century inequality…"

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15. Posted by Defiant, 04/03/2022 2:48

"@alvarezh3
I know you are completely correct in your assessment of the situation, but like kenji I don't see an actual justification of those sums of compensation.
Lewis and Max are incredible talents and I'd argue that they deserve a very high salary, but as Kenji has proposed, even half of what they'll receive this year is still an outrageous number and I'd bet they'd still race happily for it.
It will always be a perspective thing and I understand that.

Lets propose they lowered the cost of tickets for the fans and the contracts for tv coverage. The trickle down element would likely happen.
Then the prize money would be lower, causing the teams to spend less due to cost/reward balance.
Then in turn, maybe we'd get more teams involved.

Just a thought....
"

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£40m pay day for Verstappen?

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