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Former Jordan boss Mark Gallagher has claimed that Max Verstappen is on course to become the sport\u2019s first driver to reach a billion-dollar valuation ahead of Lewis Hamilton, so long as he doesn\u2019t retire from F1 early.<\/p>\n
The two-time world champion is currently part-way through a long-term contract with Red Bull that will see him rake in over \u00a350 million per year until the end of the 2028 season, ensuring that he earns just as much as Hamilton for his on-track exploits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, at 26 years of age, the iconic Dutchman still has a long way to go and plenty of time to wrack up his earnings total by racing in F1. With Hamilton still going strong at 38 and Fernando Alonso already racing into his 40s, Verstappen has plenty of time to continue his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive F1 news.<\/strong><\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> Russell wouldn’t work at Mercedes if ‘endless Hamilton requests’ were accepted[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking about the prospect, Gallagher said: \u201cRegarding Max being potentially the first billion-dollar Formula 1 driver in terms of his career earnings, the reason I say that is because you really don\u2019t need to sit in front of a calculator for very long to work out that.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he\u2019s already been in Formula 1 since the age of 17, even if you put in a sort of relatively modest trajectory in terms of his salary, he\u2019s already well into nine figures \u2013 hundreds of millions of dollars of income during his career to date.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got a very long way to go, potentially. This is one of the interesting things about Max saying he may not stick around that long, because he certainly doesn\u2019t need to stick around in order to make serious money. He\u2019s already made serious money, and he will make serious money over the balance of his Red Bull contract until 2028.<\/p>\n More F1… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n \u201cBut the fact is that, if he decides, \u2018okay, I\u2019ll do a [Lewis] Hamilton or I\u2019ll do an [Fernando] Alonso, and I\u2019ll stay until I\u2019m 38 or 40\u2019, I mean, all bets are off. His career earnings will just continue to rocket.\u201d<\/p>\n The only thing that could stop Verstappen from making it to his late thirties or early forties in F1 is his own desire to remain in the series. The 26-year-old is already a multiple-time world champion and could explore life in other disciplines should Red Bull lose their superiority.<\/p>\n
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