In Netflix’s Drive to Survive, Will Buxton faced a myriad of reactions from the audience because of some of his dialogues. At times, he even got into controversy for saying something about a team or a driver, given the dramatic nature of the show. One such instance happened with Sergio Perez. Buxton recalled it while speaking recently on The Fast and the Curious podcast.
It was during the first season of DTS when Buxton had to explain what a pay driver is. Speaking of it, he said, “Obviously you gotta be honest about stuff. And sometimes some things rub people up the wrong way. Or they will use things a certain way. Season one Perez [was] furious with me because there was a bit about pay drivers.”
Buxton mentioned that he plainly gave an explanation of what a pay driver is in F1. Even the hosts quizzed him about what a pay driver is. While the term has become relatively known in recent years, a pay driver is someone who has a lot of commercial backing that helps him get into the sport.
Now, when Buxton gave this explanation, Netflix used it in the show in a different way with pictures and footage of Perez. As a result, the 43-year-old had to prove his innocence to the Mexican driver. He said, “They painted it exclusively with pictures and footage of Sergio. And I said I never said you were. I just explained what one [pay driver] was.”
Regardless, Buxton highlighted that it isn’t necessary that a pay driver is short on talent and skill. He mentioned the example of Niki Lauda.
The three-time world champion also started in F1 by taking bank loans and paying his way to receive a race seat at BRM. From there on, he caught the eye of the late Enzo Ferrari, which earned him his drive at the legendary Italian outfit.
With this, Buxton wanted to explain how DTS isn’t scripted despite what a major part of the audience believes. As for him and Perez, they are on good terms now. However, Perez’s pay driver image may now be coming back.
Perez’s commercial backing is perhaps helping him survive at Red Bull
There has been immense scrutiny around Perez’s seat in 2024 due to his underperformance. Amid this, there have been reports of the Mexican getting support from his big-ticket sponsors who are reportedly pushing Red Bull to retain him.
Throughout his career, Perez has never really underperformed massively as he has struggled at Red Bull. Max Verstappen, being at his impeccable best as his teammate, could be a reason for his performances seeming worse than his previous stints at Force India and Sauber.
Nevertheless, Perez’s sponsor backing and commercial pull in the Latin American region and Mexico have given Red Bull immense incentive to retain him despite his underperformance. But if it wasn’t for his commercial backing, Red Bull perhaps would have axed him already by now.
Perez’s sponsors have reportedly assured the Austrian outfit that they will compensate for the financial losses, if they lose the constructors’ title in 2024 due to the Mexican’s inconsistency.
