34-year-old ‘most natural fit’ to replace Perez at Red Bull, but ‘uncomfortable’ call is looming

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Red Bull’s second seat is already a huge topic of conversation and right now AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo looks like the most natural successor to Sergio Perez should he depart.

However, it’s unlikely to be as straightforward as that and the first few races of the season could set the tone for who will be offered the chance to be Max Verstappen’s teammate in 2025.

Speaking on The Race Podcast, journalist Ben Anderson has shared his thoughts on what Christian Horner might be thinking when it comes to next season’s line-up.

Sergio Perez will be well aware of how much pressure he’s on at Red Bull right now.

It’s easy to forget that he finished runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship last year because of the gap between him and Max Verstappen.

He only won two races in the most dominating car in Formula 1 and qualifying became a real issue for the Mexican.

With his contract expiring at the end of the year, Red Bull will be reviewing their potential options.

It’s been suggested that Daniel Ricciardo is the most natural replacement for Perez at Red Bull.

However, it’s not as easy as that, as there are plenty of drivers outside of the Red Bull set-up who would love that seat.

Not only that, Ricciardo has to prove that he’s faster than teammate Yuki Tsunoda after failing to outclass the Japanese driver upon his return in 2023.

Ricciardo seen as most natural replacement for Perez at Red Bull

Discussing the situation at Red Bull, Anderson said: “Just focusing on the short-term, Perez is in pole position. I think if he raises his game enough, they’ll keep him on a much shorter deal.

“I don’t think they give him another two-year contract.

“It’s obviously a hassle to change drivers, I think Red Bull probably really want [Daniel] Ricciardo to step on.

“I kind of feel that that’s the most natural fit for them, especially when you consider his popularity and the marketing potential he offers them and the pre-existing relationship with Verstappen, he gets on with him.

“I don’t think you would have the kind of weird Monaco 2022-type fallout situation between Verstappen and Ricciardo that you would have between Verstappen and Perez.

“But, I’m not convinced about Ricciardo. If you just looked at it objectively right now, probably the best driver they have within the ecosystem is [Yuki] Tsunoda.

“But they don’t have the pressure of Honda anymore or even the backing of Honda coming up to really force that issue. So, Tsunoda’s the uncomfortable one because if he continues to remain faster than Ricciardo, it’s quite difficult to say Ricciardo’s a shoo-in for the Perez seat.”

Ricciardo very much benefits from driving for Red Bull before and the team already know he’ll be a natural replacement for Perez should they go in that direction.

However, Yuki Tsunoda is going to make things difficult and will want to make it impossible for Horner to ignore him with his performances.

The Australian is more experienced and his previous relationship with Verstappen will be in his favour.

But ultimately, if he’s not the fastest option available then Red Bull will be forced to look elsewhere.