Lewis Hamilton Loses $19,000,000 Per Year Because of Rival Max Verstappen’s Dominance

Lewis Hamilton has not won a world championship since 2020, losing out on next year’s title in heartbreaking fashion. 2021 also saw Max Verstappen kickstart his own era of dominance, as the baton passed on from Hamilton to him. Now, Hamilton is in the shadows of his rival, struggling to close the gap and win races. Additionally, as reported by the Daily Mail, Hamilton loses out on a significant portion of his salary because of Verstappen every single year.

Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013, in a move that was deemed questionable at the time. However, the Brackley-based outfit made huge strides with the onset of the turbo-hybrid era and dominated the sport for the next eight seasons. They won eight consecutive constructors’ championship titles, with Hamilton winning six drivers’ championships between 2014 and 2021.

Before the start of every season in this particular era, Hamilton was already the hot favorite to win the title. This made him negotiate a title-winning clause to his contract, which is now biting him in the back.

How Lewis Hamilton loses money because of Verstappen’s dominance

According to the Daily Mail, Hamilton currently earns $35,000,000 from his existing (soon-to-be-expired) Mercedes contract. This also includes a clause, that would hand Hamilton an extra $19,000,000 if he emerges as the world champion at the end of the season.

Unfortunately for Hamilton, when he penned this deal, things weren’t so gloomy at Mercedes from a performance point of view. He was almost sure about winning the world title, and Red Bull’s dominance came out of nowhere for him.

Hamilton last won the world championship in 2020. In 2021, he narrowly lost out after a competitive season, whereas in 2022, he suffered a huge slump with Mercedes, with the Silver Arrows finishing third in the standing. Additionally, as things stand this campaign, Hamilton is still too far off the pace behind Verstappen to challenge for the title. This means that he will potentially lose out on $57,000,0000 in earnings at the end of the 2023 season.

Hamilton wants major changes to his contract before signing a new deal

Lewis Hamilton’s current contract with Mercedes runs out at the end of this year. The 38-year-old and his team principal Toto Wolff confirmed that talks are underway and an extension will be announced very soon. However, as per the Daily Mail, Hamilton wants the $19,000,000 championship bonus to turn into a guaranteed payment before signing.

Hamilton didn’t appreciate how he lost out on a huge chunk of his income due to Verstappen’s dominance and his own team’s inferiority. Consequently, he wants to make sure that he gets his money in the next few seasons. Irrespective of the results out on track.