Horner, Perez and Lawson sagas: Red Bull's PR damage

One of the primary reasons that Sergio Perez remained with Red Bull for so long would surely have been due to his commercial ties to Mexico and the energy drink sales in the country. Will the sales have collapsed since he left the team?

We don't have exact figures, but the sending off of the popular Mexican can't have had a positive impact on the company. Look back at the reactions under the team's social media posts in December and a torrent of grumbling and swearing becomes visible. People in Mexico were done with Red Bull.

Several incidents at Red Bull Racing

With the storm in Mexico barely subsiding, there is another public outcry - this time over Lawson's replacement after just two race weekends. New Zealand won't be the biggest market for Red Bull to conquer, but thanks to Formula 1's global appeal, more people are bound to be outraged by this turn of events, let's say.

The image created is that Red Bull can just put you on the rocks as a staff member - obviously something the brand does not want to portray. That is something that does resonate after the past year of turmoil at the team: with the Lawson and Perez sagas added to the case surrounding Christian Horner and allegations made by a female staff member of inappropriate behaviour - of which he was cleared of by an internal investigation.

But while cleared by Red Bull, the internet exists and the harm has already been done. Again, the PR damage is immense.

Red Bull's image tarnished

Red Bull has always been the team that is different from the other teams on the grid; a tad cheeky, emphatically eyeing young talent but, nevertheless extremely successful. The image was not created by accident, it was the result of years of building a brand.

In a relatively short time, that image has completely changed, after the scandals involving Horner in particular, the departure of several senior staff members, and the way drivers have been treated in recent years.

How to rectify that again? That's what Red Bull's PR department, along with that of the race team, is no doubt now looking into as participating in Formula 1 should strengthen the brand's image, not instigate a dislike for the brand and impact energy drink sales.