And the disparity between Hamilton and his competitor’s wages is only intensified when there are those who do not believe he is the best driver in the field.

Take Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, who this week stated his belief that Verstappen, not Hamilton, is F1’s premier racer.

“I think he is the best, and George Russell’s performance at Mercedes confirmed that for me,” Horner told RacingNews365 when asked about Verstappen’s ability.

“Max and Lewis stand out for me, but while we absolutely should not be blind to all that Hamilton has achieved, he does have access to a good package while Max has to get more and more out of his car.

“You can see that by the fact that a driver from Williams qualified directly on the front row of the grid and almost won the race. If someone had to get into Max’s car, if he had coronavirus, they would never reach his level of performance.