Max Verstappen reportedly loses a million euros for every race he doesn’t win. Ralf Schumacher suggests these financial hits might be influencing his current mood at Red Bull.
A former F1 driver has a theory about why Max Verstappen’s mood may have dipped in recent weeks and months.
1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve stated after Baku that Verstappen’s fiery demeanor seemed to have vanished and that he even appeared “very depressed.”
“I remind you that he loses a million euros for every race he doesn’t win,” smiled Ralf Schumacher in response to Villeneuve’s remarks, referring to the typical bonuses in Red Bull contracts.
“It’s an incredible sum. Last year, he had so much success, and it’s a lot of money he’s losing now, on top of the fact that things are not going well in sporting terms. And I’m not even talking about the lost bonus if he misses out on the world title (estimated at 5 or 10 million euros, editor’s note).”
Schumacher also notes that Verstappen aims to build a financial empire capable of funding a GT3 team, his future in motorsport, and even supporting some young drivers.
“It’s inevitably a lot less money coming in because we know he spends very little in his daily life. He just still holds on to his private jet.”
However, Red Bull seems to have understood his problems, having traced everything back to Barcelona in 2023, and is putting everything into Austin and new developments.
This is why the team’s advisor and Verstappen’s mentor, Dr. Helmut Marko, refutes the idea of “depression” in his driver.
“Max has a strong connection with Red Bull and is very loyal. We trusted him when he was 17 and gave him a cockpit. He hasn’t forgotten that.”
“But he won’t be driving in Formula 1 like Fernando Alonso when he’s over 40. That’s why he wants to have as much success as possible right now.”
Marko openly admits that Verstappen could theoretically terminate his contract with Red Bull.
“Every driver contract includes performance-related exit clauses.”
“It’s up to us to build him a car so good that he cannot and does not want to activate them. In Azerbaijan, we were much closer to McLaren and Ferrari. We conducted tests to corroborate our findings, and it indeed went in the right direction.”
“That’s why we’re banking on Austin to turn things around and save at least the drivers’ championship—both if these developments are very successful.”
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Is €1M Per Race Loss Behind Verstappen’s Mood Dip? Is €1M Per Race Loss Behind Verstappen’s Mood Dip?
