The topic of so-called “pay drivers” has been a long-standing issue in the world of Formula 1. On many occasions, seats have been assigned based on the number of partners tied to a driver and willing to invest in the team they would drive for. Sergio Perez is certainly one of these cases, and his departure has led Red Bull to lose several significant sponsors.
The Mexican driver had the support of numerous South American companies (and others) that saw Sergio Perez as the ideal representative of the Latin part of the globe. This was one of many factors that caused Helmut Marko and Christian Horner to carefully deliberate on the future of car #11.
According to some reports, renewing Sergio Perez’s contract could have brought new sponsors to Red Bull, ready to invest tens of millions of dollars.
The Impact of His Departure
The decision made by the Milton Keynes leadership, however, had the opposite effect. Alongside Sergio Perez, several partners chose to leave the team that has won the last four Drivers’ Championships.
Among these is BYBIT, one of Red Bull’s main sponsors, which had been prominently displayed on the front wings of Adrian Newey-designed cars for years.
Looking at the complete sponsor list, the Patron brand, historically associated with Sergio Perez, is still present. This is likely due to a contractual agreement that may expire at the start of the new season and could soon be removed from the list.
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