Formula 1 has no room for mediocrity with only 20 seats up for grabs for all hopefuls and only the worthy get them. This also increases the level of scrutiny the drivers face from F1 entities including their own teams. Red Bull Racing has showcased their merciless side time and again on this front. However, somehow an underperforming Sergio Perez has been immune to the unforgiving nature of the Austrian team. A Dutch former racer Robert Doornbos has given insight into the reasons behind it.
The Mexican has been nowhere near his world-champion teammate in the past two seasons. No top team on the grid has such a big gap between their drivers. The criticism against Perez is for a good reason as well because maximizing points is how a team wins the constructors’ championship.
At Red Bull, it’s been down to Max Verstappen’s individual brilliance. However, that’s been challenged in the current season and yet Perez’s seat on the team remains secure. Doornbos believes it’s because of the money.
As quoted by F1 Maximaal, he explained, “I always get asked why that guy still has a contract when I look at the past with Helmut Marko, it was often: You don’t perform, you out. That doesn’t work with Pérez, so I have to explain that.”
“He takes forty million in sponsorship with him. He gets fifteen million of that, so then 25 million stays with the team. It has absolutely nothing to do with performance anymore.”
Sergio Perez signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Mexican oil company Pemex in 2018.
But the company stopped paying Perez in 2019 due to a “change of priorities.”
Perez ended up filing a lawsuit and was awarded $2.8 million yesterday by a judge. pic.twitter.com/sVXUm0MUWi
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) September 29, 2021
The massive sponsorship money that the Mexican pulls is the reason behind his exemption. This is why he’s safe from Red Bull’s harsh on-track performance-based inflexibility. However, the Austrian team needs him to perform now more than ever.
Sergio Perez could play a vital role in Red Bull’s defense of their constructors’ title
Sergio Perez is still consistent with his subpar output over one lap in most of the races. His qualifying woes put his future in doubt at the Austrian outfit in 2023. However, he survived the scare and a few positive results in the opening six races earned him a contract extension.
Although, the #11 driver’s qualifying troubles began once again in the European part of the calendar. Now, his team is urging him to pull up his socks as the competition is to the neck.
Speaking to the media, team boss Christian Horner made his plea after the Spanish GP where he finished P8. He said, “We need Checo [Perez] in the mix. He knows that and the team know that.”
“If he’s on the back end of the top eight, you lose strategic options, whether you split your strategies, and so on. Checo in the first four or five races this year was fantastic. We just need to get him back into that headspace.”, hoped Horner.
However, it’ll be easier said than done. The 34-year-old fell into a similar rut in 2023 as well and couldn’t come out of it. A similar shoddy output is not an option in 2024 or else, Red Bull can surely lose out on their constructors championship. Only time will tell if this pressure will bring the best out of him or push him further down.
