The much-awaited question of RBR’s second seat has been answered. The Red Bull team finally decided to give Sergio Perez another chance after the summer break. Despite the tough phase in his career, the team has continued to show trust in the Mexican racer. Therefore, the upcoming races are the penultimate opportunity for him to prove his worth.
However, amid all the chaos of Checo getting fired, some reports have made a shocking revelation. While the experts feel retaining Perez was a safe option for RBR, this is not the case. According to some reports, there is a monetary reason behind giving the 34-year-old driver another run in the RB20.
Fear Of ‘Revenue Drop’ In Mexican GP Forced Liberty Media To Influence Red Bull’s Decision
The 2024 season for Sergio Perez started on the right rhythm as he bagged a couple of podium finishes. However, as the season progressed, the driver was clueless about how to handle the RB20 racing machine. As a result, he failed to score consistent points while crashing the vehicle twice. Thus, he was given a deadline till the Belgian GP to prove his value, as the team management would take the ultimate call during the summer break. However, there was no change in his fortune, as Checo finished the Spa race at P7 despite starting from P2.
Therefore, F1 aficionados were confident that this would be the last nail in Checo’s career. However, to everyone’s surprise, RBR management retained Perez for the remainder of 2024. While many speculated that it could be due to his experience, a recent report made a shocking revelation. According to an F1 Insider, Red Bull’s decision was influenced by Liberty Media. Notably, Liberty Media holds commercial rights to Formula One. Thus, any monetary loss could have a direct impact.
Subsequently, the decision highlights Checo’s commercial value. If he were fired, the Mexican GP would have witnessed a severe revenue drop. This is because Perez is the home hero in Mexico. Thus, a massive monetary loss would have occurred during the Mexican GP scheduled on October 27.
Christian Horner Made The Call To Retain Checo Amid Helmut Marko’s Skepticism
Red Bull made the official announcement, and an F1 journalist, Christian Horner, backed the decision to retain Perez. Sky Sports’ Craig Slater explained that the decision to stick with Perez, despite Verstappen’s comfortable position in the driver standings, was driven by the fact that McLaren is closing in on Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
The constructor’s title is crucial because it determines the financial rewards and bonuses for the team. Slater pointed out that Perez’s uneven points contribution compared to Verstappen’s has weakened Red Bull’s position in the constructors’ standings. Ultimately, Horner decided that the least disruptive option was to continue with Perez, expecting an improvement after the summer break.