“Paying Perez Might Not Be Necessary”: Fernando Alonso’s Red Bull Move Green-Flagged by Famed F1 Maestro

The pinnacle of motorsport never fails to entertain the fans. The Mexican GP weekend was filled with exciting racing. Red Bull was aiming for a good weekend, but only Max Verstappen delivered after Perez misjudged his turn-one overtake. But Fernando Alonso was a name that was nowhere to be seen during the race, after suffering an unfortunate retirement. This DNF might have spelled misfortune for Aston Martin and Sergio Perez’s future though. When Alonso returned to the sport, he took Vettel’s spot at the former Racing Point team. The very place Sergio Perez had saved from bankruptcy was the origin of a bigger threat than Ricciardo to his seat!

The F1 community has been going wild ever since rumors were teased on Twitter about the possibility of a shocking story arising from the paddock. While fans have been speculating, it’s time for karmic justice to be handed out to Lawrence Stroll, who had replaced Perez with Vettel. Because now, Fernando Alonso might be abandoning Stroll’s ship for the second Red Bull seat! However, an insightful F1 pundit, Joe Saward, speculated that the ultimate loser could be Sergio Perez, even losing out on Red Bull treasures!

Sergio Perez might end up losing out on riches after Mexican GP

Drivers and teams are bound to each other by their contracts. Before the season began, we saw another contract fiasco when Oscar Piastri exited McLaren. It prompted Alpine to approach Pierre Gasly. However, Gasly was under contract with Red Bull for the 2023 season – meaning that he had to be bought out. Usually, a similar situation would arise if Fernando Alonso took an exit clause from his current contract with Aston Martin. This means that Red Bull would have to pay Perez to vacate the seat if they want to void his contract.

Unfortunately, Joe Saward suggests payday may never come at all for the Mexican. He wrote in his blog, “Paying off Perez, who is reckoned to earn about $8 million a year, might not even be necessary. Driver contracts tend to have performance clauses based on percentages of a team-mate’s score” – driver contracts usually have contract bonuses or cuts according to the driver’s performance, measured in points.  Remember when Kimi Raikkonen almost bankrupted Lotus due to their performance clause? Sergio Perez might be on the opposite end of the spectrum.

“After the Mexico City GP, Perez’s 240 points were equivalent to 48.8 per cent of Max Verstappen’s total of 491.” – Saward pointed to the Mexican’s significant points deficit to his teammate. The Mexican GP was just the last thing Perez needed, because Lewis Hamilton halved the Mexican’s lead, putting his second place in the standings under threat! Joe Saward pointed out a clause that could mean Perez wouldn’t reap anything. He stated, “If Perez is required to score at least 50 percent of the points of his team-mate, this could be grounds for the contract to be cancelled, without the need for compensation.” 

READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo Puts Yuki Tsunoda’s F1 Seat in Question With Single-Handed Heroics in Mexico

This target of 50 percent of Verstappen’s points would mean Perez would have to put in the work at each race, avoiding retirements like the Mexican GP. With only three weekends to go, it will be interesting to keep an eye on this metric for sure!

Is Fernando Alonso a better option than Daniel Ricciardo for Red Bull?

The popular consensus in the Paddock is that the main objective behind giving Daniel Ricciardo an Alpha Tauri seat is to essentially test him before he’s put into the much faster RB19. After the Mexican GP, it’s safe to say Ricciardo is one of the options for 2025, but his prospects for 2024 are still unknown. Christian Horner and Daniel Ricciardo gel well together, and if it were up to the Boss, Ricciardo would have that seat in a heartbeat. However, Horner has repeatedly come to Perez’s defense, especially after the Mexican GP upset.

But with Fernando Alonso’s entry into the mix, the conversation takes a completely different turn. There’s no doubt that the Spaniard’s age has not affected his talent and raw speed. But he will be getting frustrated with Aston Martin’s failures at the end of the season because his clock is still ticking! A proven world champion, Alonso has only ever lacked the machinery, which only Red Bull can provide. And for Red Bull, someone who could rival Verstappen and therefore help the team keep the constructor’s title secured would be essential.

Joe Saward reflected on the situation from a corporate angle, “The difference between the Constructors’ Champion and the second-placed team is in the region of $10 million, although there may be additional success payments that we do not know about, such as consecutive title bonuses. In other words, getting rid of Perez would cost less than finishing second in the Constructors’ title in 2024 because he could not deliver enough points. That is a good incentive.”

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After Sergio Perez’s lackluster performances, could Fernando Alonso be just what Red Bull needs to maintain their reign of dominance? After all, they want to fight with two cars, not just Verstappen. Or could Daniel Ricciardo still be the rightful heir to the Red Bull seat? One thing’s for sure, if Perez keeps these performances up, things are not looking good for the Mexican!