F1 Racer Sergio Pérez Gifts Red Bull Team $300K Worth of Patrón Tequila for the Holidays

Racing star Sergio Pérez gifted the Red Bull team close to $300k worth of Patrón to celebrate the holidays and mark his departure from the brand. (Photo: Sputnik via AP)

TMZ reported on Dec. 18 that racing star Sergio Pérez gifted the entire Red Bull Team a semi-truck worth $300K in Patrón tequila to celebrate the holidays and mark his departure from the brand.

The outlet reported that Pérez’s generosity occurred a few days before the star announced he was ending a four-year partnership with Red Bull, which TMZ reports was a mutual decision. Sources informed TMZ that the star drove up in a semi-truck with boxes of Patrón El Alto Tequila at the Red Bull Racing facility and gifted it to the employees.

Patrón El Alto Tequila is a premium tequila that is a blend of reposado and añejo tequila made from Blue Weber agave. The tequila is priced within the $100 range and appears to sit well with critics. Good Spirits News claims the expression is quite possibly the best Patrón ever released and gave it a perfect score.

On an Instagram post captioned ‘Thank you for these four years @redbullracing I wish you the best,” the star shared his gratitude for the partnership. He called it an opportunity that changed his career.

“We built history with our own hands,” Pérez expressed after discussing his wins in Monaco and other countries like Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.

He explained his reasoning for parting ways with Red Bull was to slow down a bit and spend more time focusing on his personal life.

Though the Instagram post appears to paint Pérez’s departure as a choice made by the F1 star, it was a mutual decision.

Sports Illustrated reported on Sunday that Pérez departed Red Bull after a racing season “marked by substantial performance issues.” He finished eighth in the drivers’ championship, according to the outlet.

According to Sports Illustrated, Pérez’s contract was extended in May, and it was supposed to end at the close of 2026. The outlet reports that the contract did not touch on the subject matter of performance, which explains why Red Bull chose to buy him out.

Though the sum Pérez asked for remains a mystery, sources claim the figure was somewhere around $20 million. Others claim it was potentially as high as $82 million. The outlet reports that Red Bull might face additional financial ramifications to losing the Mexican racing star, including the loss of sponsorships.

Sports Illustrated reported that Pérez will continue to partner with Redbull for promotions, and he might return to Formula 1 in 2025.