Max Verstappen is Formula 1's most dominant driver here's how the motorsports great makes and spends his millions
Meredith Cash
- Max Verstappen has been, by far, the most dominant Formula 1 driver over the last several years.
- The 26-year-old, who races for Red Bull, has won the last three F1 World Championships.
Max Verstappen has been the king of motorsports in recent years.
The 26-year-old, who grew up on the border of Belgium and the Netherlands, has raced with Red Bull since 2016. He became F1's youngest-ever Grand Prix winner later that year and has since gone on to win the 2021, 2022, and 2023 Formula 1 World Championships.
Verstappen's rapid ascension to the F1 mountaintop has been accompanied by a tremendous amount of fame and fortune. The young superstar is among the highest-paid athletes on the planet, according to Forbes, and he lives a lavish lifestyle as a result.
Here's how the dominant driver makes and spends his millions.
Verstappen has dominated Formula 1 in recent years.
Verstappen has been an unrelenting force in motorsports since his early teenage years. By the time he was 17 years old, the Dutch driver — who then was racing with Toro Rosso — had become the youngest-ever participant in a Formula 1 race, per The Independent.
Just one year later, Verstappen joined forces with Red Bull. In his very first race with his new team — the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix — the then-18-year-old became the youngest Formula 1 Grand Prix winner in the history of the competition.
He finished on the podium in four of his first eight races with Red Bull and made himself a force to be reckoned with in the series ever since.
But Verstappen has taken his driving to new heights over the last few years. He enjoyed back-to-back third-place finishes in the championship in 2019 and 2020, then rose to the front of the pack in 2021, 2022, and 2023 with 10+ wins each season.
He's made millions upon millions thanks to his incredible success behind the wheel.
Midway through 2022, Verstappen inked a historic contract worth north of $50 million annually to remain with Red Bull through the 2028 season, per ESPN.
Forbes estimates that Verstappen earned a whopping $60 million between May 2022 and May 2023 from his driving alone. Combined with his $4 million per year from a variety of endorsements — including Electronic Arts and Heineken — Verstappen ranks 22nd on the outlet's annual list of highest-paid athletes.
Dutch magazine Quote estimates that, as of its November 2023 rankings of the country's richest people, the 26-year-old has a whopping $164 million to his name.
Verstappen uses his vast fortune to live a life of luxury.
As a top star in a sport known for its opulence, Verstappen doesn't hesitate to spend his money on the finer things in life. He lives in a $16 million luxury apartment in Monaco, according to Architectural Digest, and Red Bull even offers fans an opportunity to tour a cartoon version of the posh pad on its website.
Verstappen travels by private jet, which is not entirely surprising given the global nature of Formula 1. He reportedly purchased a Dassault Falcon-900EX in 2020 worth $15 million, and according to Sports Illustrated, he installed a race simulator on the plane.
He owns an impressive collection of luxury cars for personal use.
Verstappen doesn't leave his love for fast cars at the workplace; he owns a number of luxury vehicles to drive in his spare time.
According to German luxury website AugustMan, the Dutch superstar has an Audi R8, Bugatti Chiron, Ferrari Monza SP2, Jaguar F-type, Lamborghini Aventador, Mercedes-Benz C63 S AMG, and Porshe 911 GT3 RS parked in his garage alongside four Aston Martins.
One such car, the Valkyrie hypercar (pictured above) collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull, is worth $4.5 million, per Fox Sports.
Verstappen also spends good money on quality time with his loved ones.
In an interview series with G-Star RAW, Verstappen says that he tries to prioritize using his limited free time for "doing fun things with friends and family."
He and his long-term girlfriend, model Kelly Piquet, have been seen jet-setting around the world for pleasure when Verstappen isn't in the confines of his Red Bull car. They've been spotted in Miami, her native Brazil, and Austria.
He uses some of his money and time to give back and do good in the world, too.
Verstappen doesn't just spend his millions on glitz and glam; he devotes some of his fortune to bettering the world around him.
On several occasions, he's auctioned off the suits he's worn during big Forumula 1 races to benefit various philanthropic efforts. Verstappen signed the suit he wore during his 2023 Canadian Grand Prix victory and, paired with a meet-and-greet with the F1 star, brought in a whopping $139,000 at auction, per Essentially Sports.
He did so again after the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix, according to Bonhams, with the signed suit expected to command anywhere from $75,000 to $90,000 at auction. In both cases, the money went to "Wings for Life," a not-for-profit aiming to find cures for spinal cord injuries.
The year prior, he raised nearly $273,000 for the same organization by auctioning off a signed, special edition of his Austrian Grand Prix helmet, per VIPrize. The top bidder also received VIP tickets to the 2022 Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi and a meet-and-greet with Verstappen himself.
He's also driven the "Catcher Car" in Wings for Life's marquee event, the World Run, according to Verstappen's website. Runners around the globe begin racing at the exact same time and attempt to outpace the local "Catcher Car" chasing behind them.
Additionally, Verstappen has played in charity soccer games, taken part in philanthropic sim races, and even donated money to help koalas injured in wildfires.
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