Sergio Perez and his failed attempts at beating his teammate are no surprise. After his two wins in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, Perez’s performance has gone downhill. What started as a massive success for him, backfired later. However, he is the only second driver at Red Bull so far who has managed to keep it up with Max Verstappen to a point.
And while he may be the perfect second driver that Red Bull was looking for, there are a few disadvantages to it. Recently, it was disclosed that Sergio’s contract includes a clause. This clause allows Red Bull to give Perez a lesser amount than what he has earned.
The clause says that if Sergio is 125 points further than Max Verstappen, Red Bull can reduce Perez’s salary or bonus. Although he gets to stay at Red Bull, this could possibly be Sergio’s worst nightmare. While his teammate, keeps on making a mark in history, the Mexican faces the consequences of his poor performance.
Battle of the Bulls ⚔️
It’s been a remarkable 12 races for Max and Checo ✨#F1 @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/WB6JhEZc0N
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 3, 2023
As of now, Perez stands exactly 125 points below Max Verstappen in the standings. This can mean one of two things. Either he has to win every race behind the Dutchman or afford to lose his money.
Before the 2023 season, Perez has been more than 150 points behind Verstappen. While there is no official statement of whether this clause has always been a part of his contract, it is possible it was only added after he signed a new contract last year.
Sergio Perez gets a pat on the back amidst criticism
However, it seems someone else has the Mexican driver’s back and he comes with statistics. None other than, David Croft has come to defend Sergio and warn Christian Horner from making the mistake of letting the Mexican go.
David Croft recently talked about how Red Bull is only benefitting from Perez compared to Max. He stated, “Checo helps sell a lot of cans of Red Bull, in North America and in Latin America. He brings a lot of sponsorship money to the team, which is important, even in these cost-cap times.”
“Something like 65% of all online Red Bull F1 merchandise is sold to Mexico.”
🗣️ | Crofty gives new details on Checo’s selling power
“Checo helps sell a lot of cans of Red Bull, in North America and in Latin America. He brings a lot of sponsorship money to the team, which is important, even in these cost cap times.
Something like 65% of all online Red… pic.twitter.com/akNACmpnku
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) August 5, 2023
According to Croft, Perez is the lead source of Red Bull’s selling power. Although Verstappen has done all the winning, Perez has sold out the most merch. Comparatively, Sergio Perez has sold 65% of Red Bull’s merch.
Furthermore, the Mexican driver is the sole reason for the majority of Red Bull can sales in Mexico. Croft laced this information with a warning for the Horner-Helmut duo, asking them to rethink their plans of letting him go.
And while Perez has underperformed, this summer break might be essential for him to make a comeback. Although his team has made it clear that a Championship for Perez may not be possible for this season considering Max has already won.