With Sergio Perez entering the final year of his contract, Red Bull boss Christian Horner has provided the biggest clue yet as to the identity of Max Verstappen’s teammate for 2025.
But the Englishman has given ‘Checo’ a huge boost by declaring that the Red Bull seat is “his to lose.”
It follows a mixed season for the Mexican, in which he helped Red Bull secure a historic one-two in the drivers’ championship but failed to fully exploit the imperious RB19 car he was given.
A strong finish to the campaign gives the team hope that he can start 2024 in a confident manner, in what will be the final year of his current contract.
There are no shortage of candidates or options for Red Bull as decisions loom for the Milton Keynes-based outfit and Horner is pleased to have some flexibility.
“I think the luxury position we’re in is that we’re not in any hurry,” Horner told Autosport. “We have a lot of options, and I believe it is Checo’s seat to lose.”
“He’s the one we’re rooting for.” He’ll be our driver in 2024. And if he does well next year, there’s no reason why we wouldn’t extend his contract until 2025. But it would be entirely based on what he achieves over the course of the season.”
Horner acknowledged the unique challenge of partnering a historical great like Verstappen, who is aiming for a fourth consecutive drivers’ title in 2024.
And, if Perez wants to keep his seat alongside the Dutchman, the Red Bull CEO has laid out the key target.
“I think that being Max’s team-mate is tough, and I think that you’ve got to have a certain resolve and character to be prepared to go up against Max,” he was quoted as saying.
“However, as the field converges, it is unavoidable that you want your two cars as close together as possible.”
“On numerous occasions, Checo’s race pace and racing have been very strong. His qualifying performance is most likely the area in which he needs to improve over the winter.
“But he’s acutely aware that he’s got to up his qualifying average, so that he’s not having to come from so far back.”
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