Helmut Marko has called out Sergio Perez after a disappointing race at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, explaining that the Mexican’s struggles have cost Red Bull employees their bonuses for the 2024 season.
Red Bull’s employee bonuses are tied to the Constructors’ Championship, rather than the Drivers’ Championship, so while Max Verstappen’s elation in Las Vegas after sealing his fourth successive title will bring immense pride to the team, it will do little to aid them financially.
Despite Verstappen wrapping up the Drivers’ Championship title fight with two rounds to spare, Red Bull head to Qatar third in the Constructors’ Championship, 30 points behind Ferrari and 54 behind leaders McLaren.
This struggle has been largely down to Perez’s form. After a miserable race in Las Vegas saw him take the chequered flag in P10, the 34-year-old now has just one top-five finish in his last 17 races. All seven other drivers racing across the top four teams have scored at least two wins this season, while he has just four podiums to show for his efforts.
Speaking to DAZN after Verstappen clinched his title in Sin City, Marko said: “We have to have two drivers who finish in the points. Max is more than 200 points ahead of Sergio
“For now the main thing was to win the championship for Max but for our employees, it is a disappointment because they will not receive their bonuses, as they depend on our position in the Constructors’ Championship.”
Perez’s struggles mean that heading into the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, he will need to produce two strong performances to justify Red Bull retaining his services for the 2025 campaign.
The Milton Keynes-based team certainly have a wealth of alternatives waiting in the wings should they decide to break Perez’s contract. Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto have all been touted as potential replacements for the six-time Grand Prix winner.
Unlike some of his bosses, Perez isn’t giving up on clawing back control of the Constructors’ Championship. After the chequered flag, he said: “It’s not mathematically lost, we’re gonna keep pushing. I really hope that in Qatar we can turn things around and be a lot more competitive.
“I think we really need to solve the issues we’ve had this year. I think the team knows exactly where we are at, and Red Bull is the best team, and I believe that we can have a much better car for next year.”
