With Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at the helm, Red Bull dominated the 2022 season. The duo won 17 races out of the 22 entries and easily conquered both championships.
However, winning the season comes at a cost. The winning team every year pays a premium to enter the following season. Mercedes paid $577,278 as an entry fee for the 2022 season. On top of that, for every point earned, teams have to pay $6,926.
Thus, with 759 points on the chart and a slight hike in the premium, Red Bull had to pay $6 million to the FIA to ensure their 2023 participation. The only financial downside of winning a championship by a mile.
Also read: Max Verstappen is willing to break a leg despite Red Bull ban
Christian Horner admits to paying an enormous bill
Horner talks about how he was delighted with his team’s dominance in the 2022 season. However, he didn’t realise his team would have to pay a hefty bill for their 2023 participation.
“To have achieved those 17 race wins, two sprint race victories out of the three, five one-two finishes, 759 points – I didn’t realise how much we had to pay the FIA for the points – I got the bill the other day. It was incredible,” said Horner.
Though it’s a small price, winning the championship brings massive financial benefits from marketing and sponsorship angles. Moreover, it also brings in a larger share of the profits shared by F1 with the teams.
Managing Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in 2023
The partnership between Verstappen and Perez remained cordial until the season’s final two races. With Verstappen not helping his teammate in Brazil, tensions between the teammates were apparent.
Though, on merit, Perez is highly below Verstappen and would mostly lose to him in the championship fights. However, the Mexican has now started to show his championship aspirations publically.
Moreover, with a precedent set by Verstappen, Perez could turn up to be less compromising with his teammate. In the past, Perez helped the Dutchman gain in his last two championship fights, which the 32-year-old highlighted publicly after the Brazilian Grand Prix.
So with the wide cracks in the lineup, managing the egos of two F1 drivers could be a hard task for Horner. But if things go out of hand, everyone knows who will be chosen among the two at the end of the day.
Also read: Nico Rosberg comments on Silver Arrows winning 2023 World Championship
