I think Red Bulls priorities have changed since the death of Mateschitz. He was more interested in sporting success itself, the current owners are more interested in finances. And for marketing purposes the WCC doesn’t actually matter much, it’s only the Driver’s Champion that people really care about, hence also what sponsors care about. Mercedes won the WCC in '21 but nobody cares or remembers. And the marketing upside Perez brings (at least so far) has been very enticing. I don’t really get why (might just be fiery nationalist pride) but Perez is unspeakably popular in Mexico - and even extended to Latin America in general. As far as I know he sells the most merch in the entire sport and brings in the most sponsors. He brings a huge amount of value for shareholders.
I think Red Bulls priorities have changed since the death of Mateschitz. He was more interested in sporting success itself, the current owners are more interested in finances. And for marketing purposes the WCC doesn’t actually matter much, it’s only the Driver’s Champion that people really care about, hence also what sponsors care about. Mercedes won the WCC in '21 but nobody cares or remembers. And the marketing upside Perez brings (at least so far) has been very enticing. I don’t really get why (might just be fiery nationalist pride) but Perez is unspeakably popular in Mexico - and even extended to Latin America in general. As far as I know he sells the most merch in the entire sport and brings in the most sponsors. He brings a huge amount of value for shareholders.