Jerry Garcia (deceased)
$15 million
Max Verstappen’s net worth is estimated at $200 million as of 2026, making him one of the wealthiest motorsport athletes in the world at just 28 years old. The Dutch Formula 1 driver has won four consecutive World Championship titles (2021–2024) with Red Bull Racing, amassed 71 Grand Prix victories and 48 pole positions as of early 2026, and signed one of the most lucrative contracts in the history of the sport.
Updated March 2026: According to the Forbes highest-paid athletes list and supporting data from Spotrac’s Formula 1 database, Verstappen’s 2026 Red Bull Racing salary is approximately $70 million per year, with career earnings through 2026 exceeding $310 million. His Red Bull contract extension, widely reported in motorsport media, is valued at approximately $275 million through the 2028 season.
Max Emilian Verstappen was born on September 30, 1997, in Hasselt, Belgium, to Jos Verstappen, a former Formula 1 driver who competed in 107 Grands Prix between 1994 and 2003, and Sophie Kumpen, a professional karting champion. His parents separated when Max was young, and he was raised primarily by his father in Maaseik, Belgium, near the Dutch border.
Verstappen began karting at age 4 and was competing in championships from age 7. His formal schooling followed a secondary education path in Maaseik, supplemented by private tutoring as his racing commitments intensified through his teenage years. He never attended university, transitioning directly from elite junior karting into F1 junior academy programs. By age 16, Red Bull had contracted him to their development program, and he signed with Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri/RB) for the 2015 Formula 1 season — bypassing Formula 2 entirely, an unprecedented path at the time.
Verstappen made his Formula 1 debut with Scuderia Toro Rosso at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix at age 17 years and 166 days, becoming the youngest driver ever to start an F1 race, per Formula1.com. He was promoted mid-season to the senior Red Bull Racing team for the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, where he immediately won — becoming the youngest Grand Prix winner in F1 history at 18 years, 228 days.
After several competitive but title-free seasons building Red Bull’s car around his driving style, Verstappen won his first World Championship in 2021 in a controversial final-lap pass over Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi. He followed with dominant title victories in 2022 (a record 15 wins in a season at the time) and 2023 (shattering his own record with 19 wins in a season). He secured a fourth consecutive title in 2024.
The 2025 season saw Verstappen finish runner-up to Lando Norris by just two points despite winning eight Grands Prix — a close title fight that set up intense anticipation for 2026. The 2026 season opened at the Australian GP, where a qualifying crash relegated him to a difficult race weekend finishing sixth. Verstappen has publicly described the new 2026 technical regulations as “super frustrating” and has been in active dialogue with the FIA and Formula 1 management regarding the new rules package, per recent motorsport reporting.
Verstappen has been in a relationship with Kelly Piquet since 2020. Piquet is the daughter of three-time Formula 1 World Champion Nelson Piquet and was previously in a relationship with Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat, with whom she has a daughter, Penelope. Verstappen has been a stepfather figure to Penelope and the couple welcomed their own daughter, Lily, in April 2025.
Verstappen is based in Monaco, holds Dutch nationality despite being born in Belgium, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in 2022 in recognition of his contributions to Dutch national prestige. He is a supporter of PSV Eindhoven and FC Barcelona football clubs. In early 2026, he announced plans to compete in the Nürburgring 24 Hours race in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 entry alongside his regular F1 duties with Red Bull Racing.
Max Verstappen’s net worth is estimated at $200 million as of 2026. The figure is built primarily on his Red Bull Racing salary of approximately $70 million per year in 2026 per Spotrac, plus career F1 earnings exceeding $310 million, endorsement deals, and real estate investments. At 28 years old, with a contract through 2028, his wealth is expected to grow significantly.
Verstappen has won four consecutive Formula 1 World Championship titles: 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. His 2022 and 2023 seasons produced 15 and 19 race wins respectively — both records at the time. Through early 2026, he has 71 Grand Prix victories and 48 pole positions, per Formula1.com.
Verstappen was born in Hasselt, Belgium, to a Dutch father (former F1 driver Jos Verstappen) and a Belgian mother (Sophie Kumpen). He holds Dutch nationality and races under the Dutch flag. He was appointed Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau by the Dutch royal family in 2022. He grew up near the Belgian-Dutch border and considers himself Dutch.