An integral reason why Red Bull is the reigning world champion is that the hierarchy of the team is set in stone. Max Verstappen is the golden boy of the team and rightly so. The man defeated arguably the greatest talent of the sport, Lewis Hamilton, to claim his first title and sealed the dominance with one after that. However, there is also a downside to such a tilt in Verstappen’s favor. Who is worthy to wield the second seat at Red Bull is always a looming question. In an episode of Drive to Survive, Christian Horner is seen shedding light on the sought-after second seat.

In the 7th episode of season 5 of the docuseries called Hot Seat, Horner is seen weighing in on the cons of hiring Sergio Perez and enumerating the vast option pool the champion team has. Partnering with the talented Verstappen is not an easy feat and, in the said episode, the Mexican is seen crumbling under the pressure. The lack of performance in the best car of the 2022 grid made the TP wonder if the gamble of employing a man who almost saw his way out of the sport was worth it and enlisted other crucial contenders for the seat.

Horner said, “Hiring Checo is a bit of a risk. 32 years of age, he is in the senior years of his career. You know you start to see,you know, cracks, and you know, as a team principal, you gotta make big calls.” 

He further added, “There is probably half the grid that would like to be in the team, whether it be Daniel Ricciardo or Lando Norris could be on the market, even Yuki.”

Read More: Amid Takeover Whispers, Daniel Ricciardo Lays Down Expectations From Sergio Perez

While Checo eventually ended up proving that he deserves the seat with a win at the prestigious and iconic Monaco Grand Prix, the recruitment of Daniel Ricciardo as the Red Bull reserve has other rumors brewing in the grapevine.

“Doesn’t matter” Sergio Perez brushes off the apparent threat posed by Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo, who was unceremoniously dumped by McLaren, found his way back to his first motoring home, Red Bull. The collaboration has seen multiple race wins and podiums together. The fact that the Australian is back at Milton Keynes has posed a clear threat in the eyes of observers. But Checo doesn’t seem bothered by it.

At the Red Bull livery launch, Perez said, “When you are at Red Bull Racing you have to perform at your best, it doesn’t matter if Daniel is here or not because Red Bull can pick pretty much any driver from the grid.”

Watch This Story: How a Euphoric Sergio Perez Hilariously Leaked His Red Bull Contract Announcement at Monaco

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Do you think amidst pressure from all sides, Checo can deliver and go on to keep his seat in the Milton Keynes outfit? or will the honey badger make a comeback with his first love?