After Sergio Perez fell 125 points behind Max Verstappen, there were multiple reports that claimed that Red Bull would reduce the salary of the Mexican driver. There were rumors that a clause in Perez’s contract would allow the team to impose a salary cut on Perez. However, Helmut Marko, according to Motorsport Magazine revealed that Perez will earn more money instead.
The rumors began after the conclusion of the Belgian Grand Prix before the start of the summer break. Verstappen and Perez completed a 1-2 finish to wrap up a fine race weekend for Red Bull. However, after that race, the former Racing Point driver also ended up 125 points behind the Dutchman.
We had a great start, the important thing was to make sure we finished the car without damage and to score some good points.
The goal is to stay on the podium for the rest of the yearTuvimos un gran comienzo, lo importante fue asegurarnos de terminar el auto sin daños y sumar… pic.twitter.com/gnqeST67H3
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) July 30, 2023
This was the starting point of a rumor that raised multiple eyebrows. In the end, Marko clarified that the would not deduct Perez’s salary as there were no such clauses in the contract. Now, he shares another interesting update.
Marko revealed an interesting Red Bull bonus for Sergio Perez
Marko, Red Bull’s chief advisor has recently opened up on Perez’s salary cut rumors. He not only snubbed the rumors again but also revealed that there are bonuses waiting for the 33-year-old.
Talking about this, he said, “No, that’s nonsense, [the pay cut rumors]. We have contracts, and we can’t cut the salary. On the other hand, there are considerable bonuses to be had. They get a bonus if they finish in places one, two, or three (in the championship, ed.), and the bonuses per point are also high.”
Just under 1️⃣1️⃣ weeks until our #MexicoGP return 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/f5Hm5glBAh
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) August 14, 2023
Interestingly, regardless of the huge point difference despite having the same Red Bull car underneath him, Perez is not seeing any looming threat of his departure from Red Bull next year.
Perez’s sudden slump at Red Bull and chaos followed
Sergio Perez started the 2023 F1 season on a high. For the first four races, he was at par with Verstappen, winning two races. Perez was closer than ever to challenging Verstappen for the world title. But things changed drastically after the Miami Grand Prix.
Following the Miami GP, the Mexican driver fell off massively. Back-to-back mistakes in qualifying sent him away from the podium places and he missed out on Q3 in five consecutive occasions.
Despite everything, Christian Horner fully supported him and even confirmed that Perez will be spearheading the Red Bull attack with Max Verstappen in 2024. However, Horner also hinted that there could be some interesting considerations for the 2025 F1 season as multiple drivers are showing interest in racing for them.
