Bad news for Red Bull employees. It seems unlikely that there will be an end-of-year bonus for the staff of the Austrian racing stable this year. The cash bonuses are paid out depending on where Red Bull finishes in the constructors’ championship. Although Max Verstappen has just clinched his fourth world title, the poor performances of Sergio Pérez mean that Red Bull remains third in the constructors’ standings.
While Max Verstappen gets to celebrate his fourth consecutive world title, Sergio Pérez is already nursing a hangover after the Grand Prix of Las Vegas. The Mexican managed to scrape together just one point for his Red Bull team, having started the race from P16. For Red Bull employees, Pérez’s mediocre performances are particularly bitter: they cost the employees their end-of-year bonus.
The cash bonuses of Red Bull employees are tied to the team’s performance in the Constructors’ Championship. Therefore, Max Verstappen‘s fourth world title does not pay off for the employees, as the poorer performances of Sergio Pérez have left Red Bull currently in third place in the Constructors’ Championship. Due to the Mexican finishing behind both Ferrari and McLaren drivers in Las Vegas, Red Bull did not gain on the two championship leaders even after the street race in the gambling city.
“We have two drivers who have finished in the points, but Max is two hundred points ahead of Sergio,” explains Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, speaking to DAZN. “The most important thing was of course to first win the championship for Max, but for our employees it is disappointing, as they will not receive a bonus. These are dependent on the Constructors’ Championship.”
Pérez Does Not Give Up
With only two races left and a deficit of 53 points to Constructors’ leader McLaren, this title seems out of reach for the Austrian racing team. However, Pérez himself has not yet given up hope. “Mathematically, it’s not lost yet, we have to keep fighting,” says the Mexican. “I hope that we can turn the tide in Qatar and be more competitive.”
