Horner comments fuel talk of Ricciardo replacing Perez at Red Bull next year
Red Bull boss Christian Horner has fuelled speculation that Daniel Ricciardo could replace Sergio Perez next season after the drivers experienced contrasting fortunes at the Mexican Grand Prix.
While Perez crashed out of his home race at the first corner, Ricciardo enjoyed his best result since joining Red Bull sister team AlphaTauri mid-season, finishing seventh after qualifying on the second row of the grid.
The results heaped further pressure on Perez, who has failed to finish on the podium in 11 of his 19 races this season, despite team-mate Max Verstappen and Red Bull utterly dominating the driver and constructor championships.
Ricciardo, one of the most popular and charismatic drivers in Formula 1, has meanwhile made no secret of his desire to return to Red Bull, where he twice finished third in the drivers’ standings in four seasons with the team.
“Sergio has an agreement with us for next year and our intention is for him to be in the car in 2024,” said Horner.
“We will give him all the support he needs to ensure he finishes second in the championship
“It was great to see Daniel perform so well and it endorses our decision to bring him back [to the Red Bull group].
“I thought he was outstanding this weekend and if it was not for the red flag, he would have finished further up the order.
“It was a remarkable performance and he is back to his old self. He is relaxed and confident.”
Horner denied, however, that Perez would only keep his Red Bull seat if he finished second in the driver standings.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton is just 20 points behind him with three races of the campaign remaining after finishing second behind Verstappen in Mexico.
“There is no prerequisite that if he doesn’t finish second, he is out of the team. It is not as binary as that,” added team principal Horner.
“You have to look at the circumstances. It was a tough moment for him in front of his home crowd and he was very emotional, but he wouldn’t be a racing driver if he didn’t go for the lead at his home race. It is a big loss for him in a car that was capable of being on the podium.
“He is a tough operator and that is why he is in the car, because mentally he has always been able to bounce back. He will brush himself down and turn it into motivation. He has the full support of the team.”
Perez will have a chance to redeem himself this week when the F1 bandwagon rolls into Interlagos for the Brazilian Grand Prix.