(Motorsport News) The age-old saying that “money makes the world go round” holds particularly true in the realm of Formula One, where eye-catching amounts of money are involved. This glamorous motorsport spectacle often sees drivers entering the sport primarily due to the substantial financial resources available to them through their parents’ bank accounts.

As Formula One teams continue to evolve into larger commercial entities, the reliance on “pay drivers” who bring substantial financial support from personal sponsors has diminished gradually.

However, a few pay drivers still exist in the sport, such as Sergio Perez from Red Bull. Throughout his entire career, Perez has enjoyed strong backing from the Mexican telecommunications giant, Telmex.

Perez, who holds the record for being the most successful Mexican driver in Formula One history, has been supported by Telmex since the young age of 10. It has now been revealed that the financial strength provided by Telmex played a crucial role in securing Perez’s position ahead of Daniel Ricciardo for the 2021 season.

Ricciardo departed the French team Renault in search of better opportunities, while Perez was forced out of what was then Racing Point following a significant investment from Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll. This investment led to the recruitment of four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel, alongside Lawrence Stroll’s son, Lance Stroll.

Red Bull faced challenges in finding a suitable second driver to partner with Max Verstappen, leading them to consider the experience of Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo.

Helmut Marko, Red Bull motorsport advisor, revealed in an interview with the Inside Line F1 podcast that Perez and Ricciardo were put to the test at Portugal’s Estoril racetrack. During this selection day, Perez showcased strong race performance despite a slower qualifying lap. However, Perez already had significant support and funding from his Mexican backers at that time.

This indicates that Formula One teams take more than just raw pace into consideration when signing drivers. In Ricciardo’s case, this may have been a factor that resulted in his subsequent challenging two years with McLaren.

Marko also mentioned that there was a difference of opinion within the team regarding the signing of Nyck de Vries, a driver from AlphaTauri. Team principal Christian Horner was not in favor of de Vries’ signing, which potentially provides an opportunity for Ricciardo to continue his racing career.

However, since joining AlphaTauri, de Vries has consistently been outperformed by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda this season and has made notable mistakes on several occasions.

Formula One is often associated with the notion that money plays a significant role, and this rings particularly true in the sport. The extravagant world of motorsport comes with exorbitant financial requirements, and drivers often enter the sport based on the financial resources provided by their families.

As Formula One teams continue to expand and develop into commercial enterprises, the reliance on “pay drivers” who bring personal sponsorships has gradually decreased. However, a few pay drivers still exist in the sport, such as Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who has enjoyed unwavering support from Mexican telecommunications giant Telmex throughout his entire career.

Perez, who holds the title of being the most successful Mexican driver in Formula One history, has been backed by Telmex since a young age of 10. The financial backing from Telmex played a significant role in securing Perez’s position ahead of Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo for the 2021 season. Ricciardo had departed from the Renault team in search of better opportunities, while Perez was forced to leave Racing Point following a substantial investment by Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll, who introduced four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel alongside his son, Lance Stroll.

Given Red Bull’s struggles in finding a suitable second driver to match Max Verstappen’s performance, the team sought experience in both Perez and Ricciardo. Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko revealed that Perez and Ricciardo were evaluated during a test session at Portugal’s Estoril racetrack. Marko discussed the selection process he had experienced during his 18-year tenure at Red Bull, stating that Perez displayed strong race performance despite a slower qualifying lap. However, Perez already had considerable support and funding from his Mexican supporters at that time.

This scenario demonstrates that raw pace alone is not the sole criterion for Formula One teams when it comes to signing drivers, and it might have played a part in Ricciardo’s challenging two-year period with McLaren.

Marko also mentioned that there was a difference of opinion within the team regarding the signing of AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries. Marko admitted that team principal Christian Horner was not enthusiastic about de Vries’ signing, even though it was AlphaTauri, not Red Bull. De Vries joined AlphaTauri for the 2023 season ahead of experienced candidates like Ricciardo. However, since then, the 28-year-old has consistently been outperformed by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda and has made notable errors.

These developments come amid ongoing speculation about Ricciardo’s future in the sport, with the Australian set to drive the dominant RB19 at Silverstone.

Marko confirmed that Red Bull intends to assess Ricciardo’s performance to keep their options open for the future succession of Sergio Perez as the team’s number two driver.

“We will have Ricciardo in the car for three days after the Silverstone race at the tyre test, and that will provide an opportunity to truly evaluate Ricciardo’s capabilities,” he stated.

The Silverstone test has been scheduled well in advance, and Ricciardo has expressed his eagerness to use this opportunity to showcase his skills to the rest of the grid.

Ricciardo said in an interview:

“I’ve been working in the simulator, but I will finally get behind the wheel of the RB19 in July after the Silverstone race,”

“Perhaps I’ll have another opportunity to drive the car again after Monza, possibly in September.

“I’m definitely looking forward to getting behind the wheel of a fast car, and there’s also a sense of familiarity with it, especially from my simulator experience.

“But above all, I’m just thrilled to be driving again and aiming to remind a team that I had great success with in the past that I can still deliver impressive lap times.”

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