And now the reigning champion is in the same pay bracket as bitter title rival Lewis Hamilton. He visited Red Bull’s factory in Milton Keynes yesterday to wrap-up his bumper extension after initially agreeing terms while in Barcelona last week for pre-season testing. Verstappen’s pay rise has now fired him right up alongside £40m-a-year Hamilton as Formula One’s top earner. Red Bull have yet to officially confirm that Verstappen has agreed to the extension but are believed to be set to confirm the news later this week. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had been trying to lure Verstappen over to them but that move broke down at Silverstone in 2020.

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