A look into Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s first and current F1 salary 

<strong>A look into Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s first and current F1 salary </strong>

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are one of the most talented and successful drivers in Formula 1. While they weren’t direct rivals during the early stages of their time racing in the pinnacle of motorsport, it all changed during the 2021 season. Fans got to witness a fierce battle between the Dutch Lion and the Queen’s Knight in shining armour. Their title fight will surely be a topic of conversation for decades.

The one thing that these two fierce competitors share is their ability to fully push the limits of the car. As soon as these two drivers joined the sport during their respective years, they garnered immediate attention from the paddock. Max Verstappen became the youngest driver to enter the sport and score points as he went on to break many records during his rookie season. 

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Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton went on to score a podium in his first ever F1 race as he competed with McLaren. He even went on to score his first win and almost won the championship in his rookie season which was commendable. Both these drivers have had a massive boost in their salary over the years and it’s all because of their hard work and talent. 

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Related: “Any conversations around buying McLaren is a non-starter” : Zak Brown

Max Verstappen’s first F1 salary was $4 million which increased to $55 million 

Max Verstappen Red Bull F1
Max Verstappen

The Dutch maestro joined Scuderia Torro Rosso back in 2015 where Red Bull paid him 4 million dollars per season to race for them. It was pretty clear that Max Verstappen was hot property as Mercedes was behind him too. Fans of today’s era would find this unbelievable as Red Bull’s sister team driver don’t earn that much. An amount like that seems very substantial for a rookie driver who was picked up straight from F3.

After getting the promotion to Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen has garnered quite a reputation for himself. With his ever increasing success, his pay-check has followed suit. After more than 8 years in the sport, the 2 time world champion now earns $55 million per year. This makes him the one of the highest earning F1 drivers alongside Lewis Hamilton. 

Lewis Hamilton had a starting salary of $277,500 which is currently increased to $55 million 

Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes AMG Project 1
Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes AMG Project 1

Lewis Hamilton is statistically the greatest F1 of all time after becoming an F1 world champion 7 times and managing to win more than a 100 races. When he joined McLaren back in 2007, he had a starting salary of $277,500 which kept increasing as he achieved great feats in the pinnacle of motorsport. It was clear that his pay check was just gonna keep increasing the moment he won his first championship in F1.

After grabbing a WDC with McLaren, the Brit went in to join Mercedes who was struggling at that point in time. This however didn’t stop the F1 veteran from building the team up and winning 6 world championships with them. His success was awarded with a massive pay check of $55 million dollars per year. This made him the highest paid F1 driver until Max Verstappen signed a contract extension with a similar amount being handed to him.

Both the drivers have achieved great feats in their careers. Some say that Lewis Hamilton has passed on the baton to Max Verstappen. This being due to Max being on track lead the new era of the sport with his dominance after winning consecutive F1 world titles in 2021 and 2022. However, anything can happen in the upcoming season with Lewis prepared to give it his all and finally emerge victorious to secure his 8th title. 

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