And it is McLaren, the team who got rid of Ricciardo, who will pay the vast majority of it instead of Red Bull, his new employers.
The veteran Australian will take on a role as Red Bull’s third driver in 2023 – driving in the simulator, helping to develop the RB19 which Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will drive, and appearing at ambassadorial events.
Red Bull will pay him €2 million (£1.7m / $2.1m) for the year, according to Sportune.fr.
But Ricciardo will also pocket €21m (£18m / $22.2m) from McLaren as a stipulation for terminating the third year of his contract, the report says.
The total of €23m (£19.8m / $24.2m) is the biggest annual salary that Ricciardo has ever earned – and probably for the least amount of driving!
It will bring his total career earnings from F1 to approximately €115m (£98.8m / $121.4m).
The deal also works out nicely for McLaren, though.
They knew it was actually cheaper to pay off Ricciardo by terminating the final year of his contract and acquire his replacement Oscar Piastri than it would have been to keep Ricciardo.
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That is because Ricciardo was contractually obliged to a pay-rise in 2023 – he was already the joint-fifth top earner in the list of 2022 F1 salaries.
But a disappointing year, where he finished 11th in the F1 standings, meant McLaren opted to get rid.
