Ex-Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan says there is no chance that Sergio Perez will be replaced at Red Bull by Daniel Ricciardo.
Perez is entering his third season at the Red Bull squad and has been consistently out-paced by team-mate Max Verstappen during his stint.
His speed relative to Verstappen has caused some to question the Mexican driver’s position within the team going forward.
Following two difficult seasons with McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo has returned to Red Bull in a third driver role.
Some pundits, including ex-F1 driver Karun Chandhok, believe that there will be a fight for the second Red Bull seat between Perez and Ricciardo.
However, Jordan doesn’t see a scenario in which Perez is replaced by the Australian.
“There’s not a chance Checo Perez will be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo,” Jordan told OBLG.
“Checo is a darling in that team. Remember what Checo does, he is brilliant foil for Max, he is strong, he can win when he needs to win, or when he has the chance and opportunity to win.
“There was a bit of a kerfuffle between the two of them, and the opportunity to be second in the championship was a different issue.”
Two-time F1 champion Mika Hakkinen recently stated that Perez must be “realistic” as targets getting the better of Verstappen going forward.
In 2022, Verstappen cruised to a second F1 title, while Perez’s performances helped Red Bull’s quest for a fifth Constructors’ Championship.
Jordan believes that Perez is an ideal second driver for the team, drawing comparison to Michael Schumacher’s team-mates in the past.
“It’s a perfect scenario for Red Bull, as it was for Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine,” Jordan said.
“Irvine was happy, he understood the rules, he was being paid on the basis of what he agreed to do.
“I’m sure Checo is the same. He brings good sponsorship to the team, I doubt Daniel Ricciardo does, not to the same level as the Mexican can bring.
“The biggest thing Red Bull have is continuity. They will not want to change that. Ricciardo has been there before, he knows he doesn’t have to be given special treatment, he knows how the team operates, the same people were there; Christian Horner and Adrian Newey.
“They’re the key people in that team, Daniel knows them well but it would have to be as a result of a driver not being able to participate, but just to sack Checo, I don’t see that at all.”
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