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'Verstappen salary one of the reasons for new Perez contract'
- Ludo van Denderen
While in North America and South America there is rejoicing over Sergio Perez's contract extension at Red Bull Racing, in Europe there is plenty of incomprehension among analysts and fans. While the Mexican appears to be in another form crisis, Red Bull still decided to tie him down for the 2025 and even 2026 season. "Why after all?" is what many are wondering. Ralf Schumacher thinks he has an idea.
In a video by Formel1.de, the former driver claims to have heard that Christian Horner does not like all the talents in the Red Bull Junior Team. Nor, according to the German, does Red Bull's team boss have confidence in Yuki Tsunoda, who has not been given the chance to advance from VCARB to the main team. Finally, Liam Lawson - who replaced Daniel Ricciardo well for a few GPs in '23 - is apparently not in a good position either.
'Now the ball is in Red Bull's court'
"That's why they extended the contract for financial reasons, because Max Verstappen is relatively expensive and Sergio Perez takes a lot of money thanks to his sponsors," Schumacher said. "And now the ball is in Red Bull's court. They have to deliver now and that brings us to Montreal. Because with the current car, Perez cannot perform as he did last year. I'm curious, because also in Montreal, I expect another exciting race between Max Verstappen and the rest of the field."
How much Max Verstappen earns is unknown. He is reportedly the absolute biggest earner in Formula 1. While Perez is not a 'pay driver', Perez's personal sponsors - such as the very wealthy Carlos Sim - do make a hefty sum every year.
This article was written in collaboration with Sophia Crothall.