Sergio Perez’s Red Bull contract reportedly includes a provision that could reduce the Mexican driver’s salary if he falls a specific number of points behind his teammate, Max Verstappen, in the driver standings.
Dutch media outlet De Telegraaf has revealed that there is a clause in Perez’s contract with Red Bull that would permit the team to modify his salary if he were to fall 125 points behind his team-mate.
It appears that Red Bull may be able to activate this clause soon, as the 33-year-old is now precisely 125 points behind Verstappen as they head into the summer break.
Consequently, Perez’s rumoured salary of $8m might be in jeopardy for the remainder of the season, due to his inability to match his teammate’s performance.
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Perez will therefore be eager to outscore Verstappen at the upcoming 2023 Dutch Grand Prix.
De Telegraaf also mentioned that they contacted Red Bull regarding this issue, but the team refrained from commenting on the specifics of Perez’s contract.
The existence of the so-called ‘Verstappen clause’ has evidently added to the mounting pressure that has been a constant feature of Perez’s season.
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At the start of the year, with wins in Baku and Jeddah, it seemed that Verstappen might finally face competition for the top spot.
However, Perez has not been able to maintain pace with his teammate, who, as a two-time world champion, has now secured victories in eight successive races.
While Perez’s position for the 2024 season might be secure, the return of Daniel Ricciardo to F1 with AlphaTauri signifies that he will have to battle for the 2025 spot to partner with Verstappen.