Red Bull employee issues blunt reaction as Sergio Perez may cost him his bonus

Red Bull are increasingly likely to finish third in this year’s constructors’ championship. Max Verstappen, who sealed the drivers’ crown in Las Vegas, could be the first champion to drive for the third-place team since 1983.

With Red Bull only scoring 11 points in Vegas – Verstappen finished fifth and Sergio Perez was 10th – the gap to leaders McLaren has grown to 53 points. While there are still 101 points available thanks to the Sprint race in Qatar, it’s hard to see the reigning champions scoring at the rate required.

Naturally, Verstappen isn’t the issue. His robotic consistency has made the difference in this season’s title fight.

While Red Bull clearly pursued the wrong development path with the RB20 and the competitive landscape has dramatically shifted, much of the blame will justifiably fall upon Perez if they lose out. He’s scored just 27.4% of his team’s points this season.

Of the 18 full-time drivers on the F1 grid this year, that’s the poorest record. Perez suffered a sixth Q1 exit of the season in Nevada, and a second in three races, to set up yet another race-day salvage job.

According to journalist Joe Saward, Red Bull employees will lose 40% of their bonuses if, as the form guide suggests, they finish third. The team put together the most dominant season in F1 history last year, so many employees would have been banking on that money.

Red Bull employee downplays bonus importance amid Sergio Perez woes

One of those whose salary will be affected is Rudy van Buren. The Dutchman is a simulator driver for the team and aided their set-up work over the Vegas weekend.

On the latest RacingNews365 podcast, he was asked how he feels about his bonus likely being cut. But he gave a diplomatic answer.

He insisted it ‘doesn’t matter’ in the wider context of the team’s fortunes. And for the moment, he wants to focus on celebrating Verstappen’s triumph, even if his fellow panellists mocked him afterwards for letting his ‘media training’ come to the fore.

“It doesn’t matter at all, that bonus,” Van Buren said. “It’s about the result on track. And that was good.”

Sergio Perez knows what he must do to keep his Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen

Verstappen will also earn less money this year than he did in 2023. It’s unclear whether his deal includes a constructors’ title incentive, because his control of that outcome is clearly limited.

But the 27-year-old has earned fewer victory bonuses, having stood on the top step eight times compared to an unprecedented 19 last term. Some would argue the system is unfair, because he’s had to work much harder for this year’s title.

As it stands, he doesn’t know which driver he’ll be racing alongside in 2025. The incumbent Perez is trying to fend off Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto and perhaps Yuki Tsunoda.

Horner wants to see Perez ‘on the scoreboard’ in a more meaningful fashion in the last two events. He has one top-six finish in the last 16 races, but it’s not too late to save his drive.