Red Bull Claims They Paid A Fortune To Fire Checo Pérez
Red Bull Racing is facing an astronomical bill for firing Checo Pérez , who, after a disappointing campaign, has been removed from the team despite having a contract until 2026. Helmut Marko, the team’s advisor and habitual outspoken in his statements, admitted that the cost of this decision has been enormous, both sportingly and financially.
“We are in Formula 1, so yes,” Marko replied with a wry smile when asked if Pérez’s departure had involved millions of euros. Although he avoided giving exact figures, the Mexican had a robust contract under his belt, renegotiated in the summer after a start to the season with more shadows than lights.
The situation became unsustainable as the season progressed. Perez, who was runner-up in the world championship last year and won five races with Red Bull, this time failed to find his rhythm. He finished the campaign more than 280 points behind his teammate Max Verstappen, who was crowned world champion with a crushing dominance. For Red Bull, the contrast could not have been more bitter: they went from winning the constructors’ title to being overtaken by Ferrari and McLaren, with the latter taking the team championship.
The termination of Perez’s contract is a double financial blow. On the one hand, Red Bull loses the juicy prize money that comes with the constructors’ title. On the other, they had to open their wallets to close a deal with Perez, who was in an advantageous position thanks to the conditions of his contract. According to reports, the performance clauses that would have limited the financial impact of his dismissal disappeared in his renewal.
“It is an acceptable result for both parties if the contracts are taken into account” – Helmut Marko
Although Marko described some of the figures published in the press as “absurd”, he admitted that “it is an acceptable result for both parties if the contracts are taken into account”. A diplomatic way of saying that Red Bull had no other option than to pay a fortune to get rid of the Mexican.
“He won five races with us and was runner-up in the world championship last year. But it didn’t work out,” admitted Marko about Pérez’s decline in 2024. “He kept hoping to find his best form again and again. Then he realised that he couldn’t come back from this and that it was best to part ways,” added the Austrian advisor.
Marko’s criticism of Perez was a constant throughout the season, increasing tension within the team . Although the RB20 was not the most competitive car for much of the year, Checo’s performance fell below the most conservative expectations. His inability to score key points in the constructors’ championship, combined with his poor performance in qualifying and the race, sealed his fate.
Perez, who at 34 is out of a Formula 1 seat for 2025, is confident of staying close to Formula 1. “I think he still has hopes for Formula 1, although of course all the seats for next year are booked,” said Marko. “If he sits out for a year, as a veteran driver there can always be new opportunities for him.”
Red Bull , meanwhile, is starting a new chapter with a different teammate for Verstappen, in an attempt to return to the path of success in 2025. But it will do so with one of the most expensive bills in its history, both for the dismissal of Pérez and for the moral and financial blow of a third place in the constructors’ championship. A bitter lesson that underlines that even at the top of Formula 1, bad decisions can cost a fortune.
