Formula One's highest paid drivers have united against their respective team bosses. "It's completely wrong," said world champion Max Verstappen, who like Lewis Hamilton earns around $50 million a year.

The Dutchman was asked about the plans not only of Liberty Media and the FIA, but also of the teams themselves to reduce the drivers' salary cap in the future. "F1 is becoming more and more popular and everybody is making more and more money, including the teams," Verstappen commented.

"So why should the drivers, with their intellectual property rights and everything else, be limited? The drivers who really bring the show and put their lives at risk?" he questioned.

Hamilton of Mercedes agrees: "This sport has gone from a $4-6 billion business to a $14 billion business. The teams are making more money than ever before. And we are a big part of that."

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, meanwhile, rolled his eyes when asked about the salary cap plans. "Isn't it a funny coincidence that this is the first time that teams can actually make money in Formula One and something like the drivers' salary cap comes up?" he wryly quipped.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits it is a "controversial issue," but argues that if teams are limited to only $140 million in other expenses, it is unreasonable for drivers to negotiate astronomical salaries.

"We can't even pay for inflation and I think the talk about the $30 or $40 million wage subsidy is inadequate when you take that perspective," he explained.

"Clearly, the pilots will have an opinion on that and maybe, as a pilot, I would say the same thing as they would. But the American leagues that are the most successful in the world introduced salary caps 15 years ago," Wolff insisted.

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto is on Wolff's side, but he admits that it will be "difficult" to implement. "It's not only complicated, I don't even think it's urgent," said the Italian.

"It will affect only three, four teams at most and those teams are already on long-term agreements with their drivers, so I don't think it's something we need to implement for next year," he concluded