Red Bull–McLaren P3 fight could mean an estimated $11 million prize-money swing

Red Bull stood third in the constructors’ championship after the Mexico Grand Prix, 17 points ahead of McLaren with four races remaining. The fight for that position could carry a prize-money difference of about $11 million.

RacingNews365 bases its estimate on 2025, putting the payout gap between third and fourth at €9 million to €10 million, or roughly $11 million. The article’s closing line instead refers to €11 million. Formula One Management does not publish exact payouts, so the 2026 figure is not confirmed.

A distribution key often used for team payments assigns about 12.2% of the sporting-performance pot to third place and 11.3% to fourth, the report says. It adds that the overall team pool is linked to Formula 1’s commercial revenue and generally grows each year, so the gap could be higher in 2026.

In Mexico, Max Verstappen said the team was trying to secure P3 in the constructors’ championship, adding that he thought this was what Red Bull wanted.