Max Verstappen recently upgraded to a $50 million jet, which is surely to maintain his glamorous life as an F1 driver. However, he is in the minority among the 20 drivers on the grid who can afford to keep a private jet. That said, owning a jet isn’t purely a luxury for an F1 driver, considering how many miles they cover each year for Grands Prix.
But George Russell‘s case is different.
Despite being a Mercedes driver and earning around $8 million a year, Russell can’t afford a jet right now. He revealed this when asked about who is most and least likely to miss their flight.
He ratted out Alex Albon as the one most likely to miss the plane. On the other hand, he agreed that Verstappen and Fernando Alonso were the least likely to miss their flights because they own their jets.
When asked if he had his jet, Russell denied it, saying, “I don’t know if I have my own jet. I’ve just got my own first car.”
4x F1 World Champion Max Verstappen has recently upgraded his air travel accommodations with a $42 million Dassault Falcon 8X.
Max bought his first jet, a Dassault Falcon 900EX, for $15m from Virgin tycoon Richard Branson. pic.twitter.com/Ds4IdgBhUO
— Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) February 10, 2025
While Russell might not have his jet, F1 teams usually have their airline sponsors. In Mercedes’ case, there isn’t one listed on their website, but surely they would be taking care of his flights—or perhaps he could hitch a ride with Alonso or Verstappen.
While F1 drivers earn millions, there is still a vast disparity between the highest earners and the rest. In some cases, many owe money for years despite being in F1.
F1 drivers often have to pay others once they make it
To make it to the top of Formula 1, aspirational drivers usually have to fund their way until they secure a team to sponsor them. It’s no secret that even participating in karting is an expensive affair.
Russell once revealed that his family almost sold their house to fund his career. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Since 2017, Russell has been supported by Mercedes, but before that, he had an extensive period where his father provided the funding.
In such cases, drivers’ families usually seek personal sponsors who are willing to fund them but often expect returns once the driver makes it. Nyck de Vries, for example, was obligated to pay 50% of his earnings from AlphaTauri and repay $270,000 with agreed interest to his sponsors from F2 after a court ruled against him.
There is no information about Russell having a similar agreement with any party before joining Mercedes’ academy, but such arrangements are common in motorsports.
