After winning his first Formula One championship in December 2021, Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen signed a reported $53.3 million per-year contract — one of the most lucrative in the sport.
That investment paid off this year.
On Sunday morning, the 25-year-old secured his second consecutive F1 championship during a rainy Japanese Grand Prix. In the standings, he breezed past Ferrari’s Charles LeClerc who was 100 points behind.
He did so four races before the season’s end — joining an exclusive club with Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher, the only two others to do so. He’s one win off their joint single season wins record.
Verstappen, of course, benefits from driving for one of the richest teams in F1.
- After winning the Constructors Championship in 2021, Red Bull earned the largest prize of any team — at least nine figures.
- During the season, the team was accused of going over the $145 million spending cap, but an FIA report found that the team only committed minor infractions.
As the season wraps, Verstappen and his teammate, veteran Sergio Perez, are leading Red Bull to a team-wide victory.
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