Whenever a driver crashes their car in F1, it costs the team a significant amount of money. With the budget cap in place, a team and a driver cannot afford too much damage. This was one of the reasons Logan Sargeant was ousted from Williams mid-season. However, a statistic highlights Sergio Perez is worse off.
Sargeant was leading the Destructor’s championship costing his team over $3 million in car damage. The American bowed out of F1 after increasing Williams’ damage bill at the Dutch GP. Since then, F1 has gone racing thrice and after his massive crash in Baku, Perez has overtaken Sargeant. The Mexican has now cost Red Bull a whopping $4.5 million in 2024 so far.
Estimated crash damages (2024)
1st) Perez: $4,541,000
2nd) Sargeant: $3,008,000
3rd) Albon: $2,395,750
4th) Sainz: $1,754,000
5th) Tsunoda: $1,602,000
6th) Stroll: $1,420,000
7th) Zhou: $1,419,000
8th) Magnussen: $1,295,000
9th) Ricciardo: $1,222,000via: u/basspro24chevy
— formularacers (@formularacers_) October 8, 2024
Many instances have contributed to Perez’s huge damage bill. He suffered a massive shunt in Monaco on the opening lap as he was rear-ended. His Q1 exit in the Hungarian GP qualifying session also came with an addition to the bill.
The Mexican took too much curb and put his RB20 in the barriers causing significant damage. Perez’s most recent crash was in Baku which completes the list of his major incidents.
However, many other small incidents have also added to the costs. The damages and lack of points were the major reason why Sargeant lost his seat. With Perez also fighting to keep his place in Red Bull, this isn’t a good look on his CV. This is another topic of connection shedding a negative light on the Mexican. However, he isn’t concerned about his immediate future.
Perez laughs off the possibility of an exit after the Mexican GP
At first, there were rumors that Perez would be asked to leave after the summer break. However, reported third-party intervention from Liberty Media saved him because of his popularity among the South American demographic and the subsequent revenue generated.
Then rumors started swirling that the Guadalajara native would be asked to vacate his seat after his home race. Although, the second scenario also doesn’t seem to come true and the 34-year-old rejoiced by sharing a meme on his X account.
Sorry pic.twitter.com/rPIHpYDVGH
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) September 29, 2024
It’s mainly because his potential replacement, Daniel Ricciardo is now replaced by Liam Lawson. The New Zealander takes over racing duties from the Australian for the remaining six races. However, the Mexican now needs to worry about the latest addition to the current grid. It’s an understanding this drastic end-season change is to vet the youngster for a Red Bull promotion.
When asked about the drastic change, even Christian Horner admitted it’s in preparation for the future. So, despite the valid contract, if Perez cannot get his act together he might replaced as early as 2025. It remains to be seen if he will be demoted or replaced entirely.
