Red Bull Faces Driver, Financial Questions After Pérez’s Exit

Max Verstappen walked out of Qatar with his ninth win of the season, a week after he clinched the Formula One drivers’ championship. But even with the win, Red Bull left the Lusail International Circuit officially out of the running for the constructors’ championship with one race left.

Sergio Pérez, Red Bull’s second driver, did not finish and failed to score any points for the sixth time this season. The gap between Pérez and Verstappen is 227 points, the largest between a champion and his teammate since the new points system was adopted in 2010. 

A day after the race, the team decided to remove Pérez from the grid, according to ESPN.

The 34-year-old Mexican driver, who has earned $96.6 million in 14 years in F1, according to Spotrac, signed a contract extension with the team earlier this year that locked him in until 2026. This reportedly means Red Bull cannot remove him from the team immediately, and he may need to fulfill another role on the team—like as an ambassador—unless he chooses to end the relationship with the team himself and potentially drive elsewhere.

Liam Lawson, the driver for Red Bull’s sister team, RB, is reportedly a lead candidate to replace Pérez. Williams driver Franco Colapinto is also in the mix.

Performance Cost

Pérez’s poor performance has essentially cost Red Bull tens of millions of dollars. The prize money each team receives depends on where they finish in the standings, and while that number is not disclosed, Sky Sports reported the purse is 50% of F1’s commercial-rights revenue for the season.

Teams’ prizes range from 6% to 14%, depending on final results, meaning last year’s pot was $1.6 billion—though there is some given away toward other bonuses. Red Bull, the 2023 constructors’ champion, received an estimated $140 million, while each place below received about $9 million less than the team above it. 

McLaren heads to the final race in Abu Dhabi with a 21-point advantage over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship. Red Bull trails the Scuderia by 38 points, meaning there are only a few scenarios where the team can finish in second in the championship—which all involve one of their drivers winning the race and neither of the Ferrari drivers finishing sixth or better.