Horner believes Perez is a strong teammate: "He knows the objectives"

The second seat at Red Bull Racing has always been a hotly debated issue, as no driver since Daniel Ricciardo has been able to match Max Verstappen. Sergio Perez is the latest driver to make an attempt, and despite his somewhat erratic performance, Christian Horner calls his current driver line-up one of the best the team has ever had.

Verstappen - Perez one of Red Bull's strongest line-ups

Asked where the current lineup stands in Red Bull's history, Horner replied, "It's among the best we've had. There was always a good dynamic with Daniel and there were never any problems with Alex last year either."

"However, Sergio knows what the objectives are for the remaining seven races and one of those objectives is to have him as close to the front of the field as possible", the Red Bull team boss explained to Sky Sports.

Pérez made his return to the podium in Turkey after failing to finish on the podium in any race since the French Grand Prix. Horner, however, puts a caveat to that. "He should have been on the podium in Monza and he could have been on the podium in Sochi," the Briton continued. "He's going to play a key role in the constructors' championship, and of course he and Valtteri are possibly going to play a key role in the drivers' championship as well."