Red Bull made only $1.75 million off Max Verstappen's 2021 F1 title triumph

It was recently revealed by RaceFans that Red Bull made a bleak profit from Max Verstappen's title triumph in the 2021 F1 season.

The Dutchman and his team fought hard against Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes for the championship in 2021. Red Bull went all in on bringing the best performance out of the RB16B but were only able to make around $1.75 million in profit.

In total, Red Bull spent around $277 million during the 2021 F1 season. Unfortunately, the team overspent on research and development since the budget cap for this category was only $145 million. Hence, they were penalized by the FIA and paid around $7 million as a fine.

When all the earnings, expenditures, and fines were calculated, the team only earned a small profit. However, it was nearly double the amount that the team earned after the 2020 F1 season, where they didn't win any championships and finished second in the constructors' standings.

Even though the profit might seem insignificant, it can be counted as a great success as Max Verstappen won the drivers' world championship and the team earned nearly double what they received in 2020.

Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, also spoke about the numbers and how the team tried to balance their registers by implementing a cost reduction plan. He said:

“The financial position of the company was carefully managed through the year. The imposition of financial regulations and the associated cap on relevant costs has necessitated cost-saving initiatives across the business. The group have implemented a balanced cost reduction plan to ensure compliance with the new regulations for 2021.”

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Helmut Marko reveals Red Bull's difficult period after Honda left

Red Bull's advisor, Helmut Marko, recently opened up about how the team went through a difficult and uncertain period after Honda decided to leave the sport at the end of the 2021 F1 season.

The Austrian spoke about how the team struggled to keep their performances consistent in the 2022 F1 season. He stated that the team gradually created their own engine plant to survive in the sport and said:

"When Honda announced its withdrawal two years ago, we would have had nothing at all - Honda didn't even want to supply the existing engine. We were able to gradually transform that into the cooperation as we see it today."

"At the same time, to safeguard the future, we set up our own engine plant - which is state of the art with the latest test benches and measuring instruments. We have the same commitment from Honda in Sakura."

In 2022, Red Bull were in talks with Porsche, who could have provided engines to the team from 2026. However, the deal broke down after Porsche insisted on buying into the team's operations. The Milton Keynes-based team's future is slightly uncertain at the moment.