Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has rejected Nico Rosberg’s suggestion that Max Verstappen’s new contract is worth around $80 million per year. The four-time Formula 1 world champion recently extended his Red Bull deal until 2030, but Laurent Mekies insisted that the reported salary figure – as well as another claim about the reasons behind Max Verstappen’s decision – was incorrect.
The new agreement has brought greater certainty to Max Verstappen’s future after months of speculation surrounding a possible move elsewhere or even an eventual departure from Formula 1. Although exit options still remain in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull contract, his long-term commitment has given the Milton Keynes team an important foundation for its future.
Max Verstappen extends Red Bull contract until 2030
Max Verstappen’s final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort ended on the opening lap after an unusual mistake brought his home race to a premature conclusion. Before the race had even started, however, the four-time world champion had announced his contract extension with Red Bull through 2030, putting an end to speculation about a potential move to another team or even retirement from Formula 1.
During the Zandvoort weekend, Laurent Mekies had already expressed his satisfaction with the agreement and highlighted the responsibility Red Bull now carries to provide Max Verstappen with a competitive car.
“We take the trust he is putting in us very, very seriously. It gives us a huge responsibility to provide him with the package he will need to fight for victories again. But at Red Bull Racing there is nothing we want more than to get back to the top as soon as possible, and we know that is what Max wants as well.”
That challenge has become particularly important during a difficult 2026 campaign in which Max Verstappen has struggled to extract his usual performance from the RB22.
Nico Rosberg asks Laurent Mekies about $80 million Verstappen salary
Also present at Zandvoort was 2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg, now working as a television pundit for Sky Sports F1. The former Mercedes driver put two questions directly to Laurent Mekies, but received a firm rejection from the French engineer.
“Laurent, I’ve also heard from Max’s camp that one of the reasons is that they really appreciate the way you have taken over the team, the culture you are establishing and how you are moving things forward. So congratulations on that. But I also have to ask: what I’m hearing is a salary of around $80 million a year. Is that true? Is that figure close to the real one? That’s an enormous amount.”
Laurent Mekies rejects both claims about Max Verstappen deal
Laurent Mekies responded by dismissing both elements of Nico Rosberg’s question: the suggestion that his leadership had been one of the decisive factors in Max Verstappen renewing his contract and the reported $80 million annual salary.
“Both statements are incorrect,” Laurent Mekies replied. “It all comes down to the trust Max has in the 2,000 people we have in Milton Keynes, both on the chassis side and the power unit side. He knows what our people are capable of and he has chosen to place his trust in us for the future.”
“So we will try to repay him. For us, he is much more than simply the fastest driver in the world, and we will do everything we can to give him a competitive car as soon as possible.”
Max Verstappen’s new agreement therefore secures one of Red Bull’s most important assets through the end of the decade, but the exact financial terms remain undisclosed. What Laurent Mekies has made clear is that Red Bull views the renewal primarily as an expression of Max Verstappen’s confidence in the team’s workforce and its ability to return to the front of Formula 1.
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