Why could Perez stay at Red Bull? 'This way they could lose less money'
F1 News
Even as Sergio Perez's contract was extended at Red Bull Racing, his performance did not improve. Therefore, a clause was brought up that could have seen the Mexican driver released from the team. Following the Belgian GP, the Austrians in the end announced that Perez can continue until the rest of the year. Former world champion Damon Hill has an idea why that could be the case.
According to the 1996 world champion, it is possible that the Austrian team decided to keep Sergio Perez because of his contract. "They really ought to be focusing a lot more on Checo. They need him. They can't exchange him for another driver," Hill began to explain in the F1 Nation podcast.
He continued by pointing out that maybe, in terms of Red Bull's financial situation, it could cost the team more to pay the release clause of the Mexican compared to losing the constructors' championship. "Maybe they might bite the bullet and say we're going to lose the constructors’ championship. What is that worth to us in millions of dollars, and if we front up some millions of dollars for Checo to go somewhere else, then it's worth it in the long run."
Red Bull's lead cut short
After winning the constructors' standings confidently in 2023, other teams seem to have caught up to the Milton Keynes-based team in the current season. They currently lead McLaren in the constructors' championship by 42 points. Ferrari are also in shooting distance being 63 points behind the Austrians, if the Italians were able to fix their issues of bouncing in high-speed corners. However, out of Red Bull's 408 points, Perez only collected 131, while his teammate, Max Verstappen, earned 277 points after 14 Grands Prix.