Red Bull got down to business and tied world champion Max Verstappen to the team for the next seven (!) years. The Dutchman has signed a contract extension until the end of the 2028 Formula 1 season, making it the longest-running driver’s contract of all time.
Verstappen already had a contract with Red Bull until 2023, which was announced in January 2020. But after winning the world title in Abu Dhabi, he had already announced that he wanted to spend the next “ten or 15 years” with Red Bull – now the premature extension follows.
“I really enjoy being part of the Red Bull team, so it was an easy decision to stay until the 2028 season,” says Verstappen about the new contract. “I love this team and last year was just incredible. We achieved our goal of winning the championship, so now it’s about keeping the number 1 on the car for the long term.”
Up to 50 million euros per year?
For Red Bull, the contract should be quite expensive. Although no exact figures are announced, the Dutch media reported on Wednesday that Verstappen could earn up to 50 million euros per year.
This is also a consequence of the budget limit. Because the teams are no longer allowed to spend so much in many areas, they can put the money they have into the drivers whose salary is not included in the limit. You are the big winner of the new financial rules.
With the end of his contract, Verstappen would be with Red Bull for 13 seasons in a row. That would be a new Formula 1 record that only Lewis Hamilton can prevent if the Briton stays with Mercedes until at least 2025.
We have also observed this trend more frequently in recent years. After Verstappen, Charles Leclerc also signed a contract with Ferrari until 2024, Esteban Ocon is also under contract with Alpine until 2024 – and the new Verstappen contract is now clearly breaking these chains.
Red Bull is tinkering with the future
This means that the Dutchman will remain with Red Bull for the first three years of the new engine regulations, which are already working on the future with their new engine department, Red Bull Powertrains. In addition, with Verstappen you would have a good argument for negotiations with the Volkswagen Group, in which Porsche in particular is associated with Red Bull.
“The fact that Max has signed with Red Bull until the end of 2028 is a real declaration of intent,” emphasizes team boss Christian Horner. “Our immediate focus is defending Max’s world title, but this deal also shows that it’s part of the team’s long-term plan.”
“As the Red Bull Powertrains department works towards the new 2026 engine regulations, we wanted to make sure we had the best driver on the grid for this car,” said Horner, whose own contract runs until 2026.