“You’ve got to defend your territory,” David Coulthard outlines how Sergio Perez is at risk with Daniel Ricciardo coming to Red Bull


“You’ve got to defend your territory,” David Coulthard outlines how Sergio Perez is at risk with Daniel Ricciardo coming to Red Bull

At the end of 2022, several changes occured in the drivers’ lineup at the front, middle and bottom of the F1 grid that will surely cause some excitement in the upcoming season. McLaren recruit Daniel Ricciardo was relieved of his contract with them prematurely with a hefty pay of 18 million dollars since the papaya team thought they would take up a fresh talent like Oscar Piastri in place of the Honey Badger who could not yield the desirable results for them. And now, Daniel is not going to come back to the racing grid for 2023 as a regular racing driver.

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But all hope does not seem to have extinguished for the Australian as he is getting ready to return “home” to Red Bull, where he had been a regular racer till 2018. But this time, Daniel Ricciardo has been hired by the Austrian team in a reserve role. But according to David Coulthard, Ricciardo’s hiring is a silent message to Sergio Perez from the executives at RB. The British racer said Sergio Perez needs to guard his tower vehemently now that Ricciardo is standing in the sidelines, waiting for him to falter so that he can take Checo’s seat.

Sergio Perez was picked up by Red Bull at the end of 2020 and he has already proven to be a force to reckon with in his two years with the team. He valiantly put up a fight against Lewis Hamilton to safeguard Max Verstappen and help him win the World Championship during the Abu Dhabi GP of 2021. And he was also instrumental in Verstappen getting his second title in the recently-concluded season. But even then, F1 is an unpredictable business where Daniel Ricciardo can capture Checo’s spot anyday, so David Coulthard wants the Mexican to be very careful.

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David Coulthard believes even a sick leave might cost Sergio Perez his seat at Red Bull

Sergio Perez

It is a well-known fact that matching up to Max Verstappen as his Red Bull teammate in a racecar that is of the same make as the Dutchman’s is a big task that drivers like Gasly, Albon, etc. have all failed to do in the past. And although Sergio Perez has survived two seasons with Max, David Coulthard believes he should stay wary as Daniel Ricciardo might be a big threat to him. Coulthard said, “Checo will look over his shoulder and see that there is a real reserve driver there. It does mean that Checo is going to need to keep a close eye on his health, his fitness, not pulling a sickie somewhere.

He also said, “When I was at McLaren I did nine years there – I did every test and never missed a race, even when I was getting out of the car and being sick. I knew the minute I let a test driver get in the car, it gave him an opportunity to show how good he was. You’ve got to defend your territory.

Sergio Perez’s 2022 F1 season went really well as he delivered a stellar performance and even gave Charles Leclerc a run for the second spot in the Championship standings. He has already let it be known that he only wants to aim for the title in 2023, and fans are excited to see how his title quest works out in the end.

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