'Sergio Perez should pay the Red Bull mechanics a bonus!'
F1 News
Guenther Steiner believes that Sergio Perez should pay Red Bull mechanics a bonus after his poor performance in 2024. 'Checo's' future is yet to be announced, but it is widely rumoured that he will be replaced at Red Bull after finishing in eighth place in the driver's championship. The former Haas F1 team boss delved into Perez's financial situation on The Red Flags podcast.
The contracts of (most) Red Bull personnel state that they'll receive a bonus depending on where they finish in the constructor's title. A third or first-place finish - in Red Bull Racing's case - may make many tens of thousands of dollars of difference per person. In short, because of a mediocre Perez performance, Red Bull personnel will not receive their possible bonus.
Steiner, therefore, suggested that Perez should do it himself: "Pay the bonus to the guys! Especially now, even if he doesn't drive next season, he'll get fully paid," the Italian said. Steiner referred to Perez's rumoured ambassador role, where he won't drive for Red Bull but will get paid a full salary.
Steiner delves into Red Bull's problem:
Some challenges come with this new role, however. "A driver normally has got some personal service agreements with sponsors and so on. And for sure, they'll be in place for next year as well. He'll claim, guys, you make my life difficult here. Now, I'm unemployed, and all these sponsors don't pay me because I am not driving a race car. There's a lot of discussion about lost earnings," Steiner believes.
'Damage to Red Bull isn't just financial'
The Miami Grand Prix ambassador would also be very surprised if Perez returns for a fifth season at Red Bull. "I would really be surprised if Checo comes back next year. The damage for Red Bull from not winning the championship is not just financial. It's also the reputation. Of course, they won the driver's championship, and they didn't win the manufacturers because they were racing only one and a half cars instead of two. At some point, someone needs to take responsibility for that." The former Haas boss concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
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