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Horner makes telling Ricciardo claim as he gives Perez new target to save Red Bull seat

Sergio Perez's Red Bull contract comes to an end after the conclusion of this season

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Thursday 18 January 2024 12:57

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has pointed to the likes of Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings as he laid down a marker for Sergio Perez to prove his worth to the team during the 2024 F1 season.

Perez faced intense scrutiny last year as he failed to record even half of Max Verstappen's total points tally despite driving the same car.

The Mexican had just two wins compared to Verstappen's 19 – both of which came within the first four races at Jeddah and Baku respectively.

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Ricciardo's mid-season replacement of Nyck de Vries at Red Bull's sister team – AlphaTauri – saw the pressure ramp up further on Perez as some suggested that the Australian could be set to return to his former team.

Sergio Perez endured a difficult 2023 season at Red Bull

The Mexican could not keep up with his Red Bull team-mate, Max Verstappen

And Christian Horner has given Perez a word of warning heading into the 2024 season

Horner: Perez needs to prove his worth to Red Bull

Yet despite all this, Perez did go on to secure P2 in the drivers' standings ahead of Lewis Hamilton, as he now hopes to show Red Bull what he is truly capable of in 2024.

And Horner has made it clear that Perez will need to do exactly that if he is to stay with the team beyond 2024, the end of his current contract with Red Bull.

“It’s Checo’s [Perez] seat,” Horner told PlanetF1.

“He’s in the car because we believe he’s the right driver now.

“It’s down to him over the next nine months to demonstrate that we feel that way for 2025.

“Of course, we’ve got great talent in the pool with Daniel [Ricciardo], with Liam [Lawson], with Yuki [Tsunoda]. So time will tell.”

Red Bull Max Verstappen Christian Horner Daniel Ricciardo Sergio Perez