How much money unhappy Red Bull staff stand to lose because Sergio Perez hasn’t ‘delivered’

Red Bull are likely to finish third in the constructors’ standings. It will be the first time since 1983 that the drivers’ champion – destined to be Max Verstappen – represents a team outside the top two.

Nelson Piquet, Verstappen’s father-in-law, was the last to achieve this unique feat. His Brabham team placed third, while Keke Rosberg’s Williams ranked even lower (fourth) a year earlier.

Red Bull are 49 points adrift of leaders McLaren but only 13 adrift of Ferrari. However, the Scuderia have reason to look ahead rather than worry about the threat behind.

Verstappen won magnificently in Brazil but he needed an epic downpour to end a 10-race drought. He was fourth in Saturday’s dry Sprint, though crossed the line third before a penalty for a virtual safety car infringement.

On form, it’s likely that Red Bull won’t gain any positions in the final three races. They’ve broadly been trending downwards since the start of the summer.

Still, Verstappen’s performances show that the car was good enough to claim both titles. Sergio Perez’s struggles have likely cost Red Bull that honour.

Why Red Bull staff will lose 40% of their bonuses thanks to Sergio Perez

Speaking on the Missed Apex F1 YouTube channel, journalist Joe Saward revealed that Red Bull staff would lose nearly half of their bonuses if they finish third. They’re poised to relinquish their constructors’ throne after a two-year reign.

This will be a frustration for the team’s top engineers, but will have the biggest impact on those at the ‘lower end’ of the pay scale. There will be less prize money to distribute.

Saward suspects that they could blame Perez. And given that he’s only scored around a quarter of their points, they would be justified in doing so.

“Do you know all of the people at Red Bull?” he said. “They have lost 40% of their bonuses, which is a lot of money for some of them on the lower end of the scale of earnings.

“40% of their bonus is a lot of money percentage-wise. They can’t send their kids to a better school. And this is because they’ve slipped to third in the championship.

“Do you think that all these people, a thousand people who work at Red Bull, are happy about the fact their bonus is being slashed by 40% because something hasn’t been delivered?”

Key sponsor may have just hinted at looming Sergio Perez exit

Helmut Marko was tight-lipped on Perez’s future in an interview ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Asked whether defeat in the championship could cost him his drive, he said ‘maybe it will still work out for us’.

Perez was even further behind Verstappen last year (a record-breaking 290 points) than he is this term (242). But the difference is that the Bulls were so far clear of the pack that he was still able to finish second.

The competitive landscape is expected to be largely similar in 2025, with four teams capable of winning. Perez has given the team little reason to believe that he can make a meaningful improvement.

And ominously, his sponsors may be deserting him. KitKat’s F1 deal bodes poorly for Perez, suggesting they’re diverting funds away from a driver who could lose his seat.