Horner hopes for fight: 'Hopefully he challenges Verstappen'

Sergio Perez will occupy the Red Bull Racing seat next season. He replaces Alexander Albon who failed to impress. That is why the Mexican will be Max Verstappen's teammate. Some predict a special battle within the Austrian team.

Team boss Christian Horner told Motorsport.com that he hopes Red Bull will be able to keep up with Mercedes. "Hopefully Perez can ensure that we have two cars that are close to the Mercedes on a consistent basis, playing an important role for the team," he said.

Experience a plus

Compared to Verstappen's previous teammates, Pierre Gasly and Albon, Perez has already seen a lot in Formula One. Horner sees that as an absolute advantage. "It will be very difficult for him to get up to speed because there is only one test. But he has the advantage of having a lot of experience."

The English team boss even dares to dream of a situation where both drivers are close to each other. "We expect Perez to be able to challenge Verstappen, similar to the situation we had with Daniel Ricciardo and Verstappen for three seasons."