Sergio Perez might be looking at a pay cut from Red Bull due to a special performance clause

It is being reported that Red Bull driver Sergio Perez may be looking at a pay cut as per his special performance clause in his current contract.

Despite being P2 in the championship behind his teammate and two-time world champion Max Verstappen, the Mexican driver has been criticized for his performances in the 2023 season.

Although he started the year strong, winning two of the first four races and even taking the honors in the Sprint Race, Perez's pace and performance have decreased from the 2023 Miami GP.

As per De Telegraaf, Sergio Perez is currently earning a handsome $10 million per year driving for the world champions but he might be facing a pay cut if the points difference between him and Verstappen goes beyond 125 points.

This means that Red Bull reserves the right to adjust Perez's salary or the financial clauses within his contract.

Red Bull team boss on Sergio Perez's championship bid

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated that the Mexican driver's title change is almost over barring a disaster for Verstappen.

Horner said, as per MARCA:

"I think Checo knows that, barring a disaster for Max, this championship is out of his reach, so it's about maximizing his own performance, not losing out to any of the drivers behind him and trying to get some wins between them now and at the end of the year."

Sergio Perez also commented on his recent performances, stating that he was happy to regain some form after finishing P2 in Spa:

“I think just getting that form back. We were on the podium last weekend and now, and I think, having these sorts of races in clean air, is where you learn a lot and you make those steps in the coming races because my last few races have been a bit of… yeah, very hard to get a proper read on them," he said.

"Because the way you have to race with dirty air, and so on, so that to me I think is where we’re going to be learning the most on that stint on free air and the second stint as well. I think for us, it gives us a bit of time to go deep on our analysis. See what we can improve for the next ten races and, yeah, basically keep the momentum going for the end of the season," he added.

It will be fascinating to see if Sergio Perez can somehow reduce the gap to Max Verstappen or end up taking a pay cut.