Why Max Verstappen Will Receive Reduced Red Bull Bonus.....

Why Max Verstappen Will Receive Reduced Red Bull Bonus…..read more.

Max Verstappen’s 2024 Formula 1 season has been nothing short of remarkable, as the Dutch driver secured his fourth world championship title with two races to spare. However, despite his dominant performance, Verstappen will receive a reduced bonus from Red Bull due to the highly competitive nature of the current season.

Verstappen’s tally of race wins this year is at least five more than any other driver on the grid, cementing his status as the clear frontrunner. However, the increased competitiveness across the field has had a significant impact on his bonus structure. This season has seen a record-breaking seven drivers win multiple Grand Prix races, making it one of the most competitive F1 campaigns in recent memory.

While Sergio Perez’s form has been somewhat inconsistent throughout the year, the overall performance of the Red Bull team has been strong enough to put them in a comfortable position for a podium finish in the Constructors’ Championship. Currently, they hold a significant 130-point lead over Mercedes in fourth place and are just 29 points behind Ferrari in second.

The early stages of the season saw Verstappen continue his dominant form from the previous year, winning seven of the first 10 races. However, a dry spell of 133 days followed, where he failed to reach the top step of the podium for 10 consecutive races. This allowed other drivers, such as George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, and Lando Norris, to claim victories and keep the championship battle alive.

Just as it seemed that Norris had a genuine shot at claiming his first world title at the age of 25, Verstappen roared back to the top and secured the championship with two races to spare. His title-clinching moment came at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where Norris needed to finish three points ahead of Verstappen to stay in the championship hunt, but ultimately failed to do so, while Russell took the race win.

Despite the two remaining races this season, Verstappen is already “hungry” for a fifth world championship, a sentiment that echoes the words of Lewis Hamilton after the Briton reached the same milestone in 2017. This drive and ambition from Verstappen suggest that he is not content with merely defending his title but is already looking ahead to the next challenge.

The reduced bonus Verstappen will receive from Red Bull is a testament to the incredible competitiveness of the 2024 Formula 1 season. While his overall performance has been undoubtedly dominant, the emergence of multiple race-winning drivers has meant that his bonus, though still luxurious, will not be as substantial as it might have been in a less competitive campaign. This dynamic serves as a reminder that even the most successful drivers must adapt to the changing landscape of the sport and continue to push the boundaries of their performance to maintain their dominance.