Christian Horner admits he’s keeping an eye on three ‘great’ talents to potentially replace Sergio Perez

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Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner admits there are three ‘great’ talents he’s keeping a close eye on with Sergio Perez’s long-term future at the team at risk.

Sergio Perez is entering the final year of his contract and will know that he needs to up his game from last season to remain Max Verstappen’s teammate.

Speaking to Planet F1, Christian Horner admits that the pressure is on the Mexican to prove he’s the right choice for the team going forward.

The future of the 33-year-old is going to be one of the hottest topics on the grid this year.

Given the number of potential options available to Red Bull, they’ll be in no hurry to confirm their line-up for 2025.

Not only are most of the grid entering the final years of their deals, but Red Bull are in a unique position given their relationship with AlphaTauri.

Both Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda would be immediately available to replace Perez if called upon.

However, the pair still have work to do to convince Horner that they’re the right fit for the team, even if the Australian is at the top of the team’s list right now.

Horner has now admitted that there are three talents that could join Red Bull as Perez’s replacement if they decide to part ways with the Mexican.

That’s not a foregone conclusion, Perez is a fantastic driver and if he can reach his potential, he would be an ideal partner to support Verstappen going forward.

It’s not easy driving alongside the Dutchman as several drivers before him have proved and last year we saw how tough Perez was finding being under the spotlight alongside the three-time champion.

Red Bull chief Horner has eye on three talents

Speaking about Perez’s future and the options available to him if they choose to replace him, Horner said: “It’s Checo’s [Perez] seat 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, with Liam, with Yuki [Tsunoda]. So, time will tell.”

Red Bull try and promote from within but that’s not always possible as Perez proved back in 2021.

Ricciardo, Tsunoda and Liam Lawson are all real talents and Horner will have his work cut out deciding which one to promote to Red Bull should Perez leave.

It’s hard to see Lawson leapfrogging AlphaTauri despite being touted for a seat on the grid.

It could come down to a head-to-head battle between Tsunoda and Ricciardo which adds an extra level of intrigue to their inter-team battle.

Red Bull could also choose to go all-out and try and recruit from outside, but it would take a huge money move to attract one of their favourite drivers.