Max Verstappen’s remarkable performance with Red Bull this season is expected to take the team into record payouts ahead of the 2024 season. Thanks to Verstappen and Red Bull’s impressive track record, the team is expected to shell out a multimillion-dollar access fee for 2024.
This hefty sum is calculated based on F1 regulations that prices groups and their drivers were based on their functionality over the past year. Red Bull’s upcoming payment of £5. 89 million represents a significant increase on the £4. 91 million paid last season. You will have to pay £6,245 for each point only.
Verstappen’s dominance this season is a key reason behind the increased fee. The 26-year-old driver won 19 out of 22 races and only missed one podium, finishing fifth in Singapore. He came second in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, the only other races he didn’t clinch first place in.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is the only driver outside Red Bull to have won a race this year. In total, Red Bull comfortably won the constructors’ championship with 860 points. Mercedes is in second place with 409 points, just 3 ahead of Ferrari.
In total, Red Bull took victory in 21 of the 22 races imaginable, with Sainz and Ferrari being the only other drivers and constructors to win a race, preventing Red Bull from having a better season. This means that 860 issues contributed to the high rates.
Verstappen finished the 2023 season with 575 problems, 290 more problems than his teammate Sergio Pérez (285). To put things into perspective, the gap between Verstappen in first position and Perez in second is almost as big as the gap between Perez and Nyck De Vries in 22nd.
The Dutch racing star also made history by becoming the first F1 driver to lead for over 1,000 laps in a single season. His impressive tally of 54 wins puts him third on the all-time list, trailing behind Michael Schumaker (91) and Lewis Hamilton (103).
And by joining the ranks of Hamilton and Schumacher, Verstappen has become one of the only drivers to complete each and every lap in a single season. At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 26-year-old finished 17 moments ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. in second position, while Mercedes’ George Russell took third place on the podium.
Verstappen finished the season on a seven-match winning streak, starting with a win in Japan in September. But it’s not just Red Bull who will face higher fees in 2024. Aston Martin is expected to shell out £2. 82 million next year, up from the £1. 16 million paid this season, according to Speedcafe. com.
While Verstappen and Red Bull are showing no signs of slowing down, it’s possible that the automaker will see its costs continue to skyrocket. However, if they continue down this path, employers will not hesitate to pay more for this peak of excellence.
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