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F1 pundit Peter Windsor discussed how Red Bull might find it extremely hard to replace Sergio Perez because of the staggering amount of sponsorship money he brings. These discussions took place amid rumors that the Mexican driver could be replaced soon.
Perez joined Red Bull in 2021 from Racing Point (currently Aston Martin). He brought several top sponsors who supported Red Bull as an F1 team. This allowed them to pour even more money into research and development while still being below the cost cap in most seasons.
Recently, many rumors have surfaced that Red Bull could replace the Mexican because of his subpar performances, especially when compared to Max Verstappen and other top drivers from other teams. However, the Austrian team has continued to keep Checo. Rumors also suggested that he might get replaced before the Mexican GP.
Speaking to the Dutch publication F1maximaal, Windsor claimed that there was no way Red Bull would replace Perez before the Mexican GP. He then pointed out how replacing Perez would make a major dent in the team's finances.
The journalist said that the team's boss, Christian Horner, would be well aware of the Red Bull's F1 wing's finances. Hence, he would like to keep Perez since he brings surplus amounts.
“It is unthinkable that they will replace him before Mexico. If they want to replace him, they also have to keep the money from the Mexican sponsors in mind," Windsor said, via Planet F1.
"From Red Bull’s perspective, the company probably won’t see that sponsorship money as significant, but I think for Christian Horner it is significant, because if Christian does his job well, and I assume he does, then he won’t assume that Red Bull’s financial contribution will always be there," he added.
Windsor then made a bold speculation that Perez must be bringing around $30,000,000 to $40,000,000 to the team, every year. He also labeled him the best 'pay driver' in F1.
“If that’s the case, the team needs to become financially self-sufficient. If Perez brings thirty to forty million dollars a year to the team, and is quite fast, then there is no better pay driver in Formula 1,” former Williams team manager concluded.
"But how much money do they bring with them?" Former F1 team manager on Sergio Perez's replacement
Peter Windsor said that Red Bull will have to find a driver who can provide financial support and be quick, to replace Sergio Perez.
As per the aforementioned source, Windsor speculated that Red Bull could score more points and defend their world championship with a faster driver than Sergio Perez. However, other drivers might not be able to bring financial power through sponsorships, something which Checo possesses.
“Red Bull might score more points and suffer less damage if they had a slightly better driver in the car. So the question is how they want to weigh these sporting achievements against the sponsorship money and the other financial interests,” Windsor said.
“There are many good drivers available, but how much money do they bring with them? Not really much," he added.
As of now, Sergio Perez is in eighth place in the 2024 F1 drivers' championship with only 144 points. Meanwhile, his teammate Max Verstappen is leading the pack with 331 points.
