F1 News: Sergio Perez confident Ricciardo Red Bull deal "doesn't change anything"

Perez is pleased that Ricciardo is joining Red Bull.

Sergio Perez is relaxed about Daniel Ricciardo's recent Red Bull deal, explaining that the 33-year-old's arrival does not impact his role within the team. 

Perez has established himself as a crucial part of Red Bull's recent F1 Championship success, playing his role in Verstappen's 2021 triumph and Red Bull's 2022 Constructors' success. 

Whilst the Mexican driver is yet to match Verstappen throughout a season, his points contributions and defensive heroics have been crucial nonetheless. 

After several seasons where Red Bull failed to find an adequate partner for Verstappen, Perez has presented himself as a viable and dependable option to fill this role. 

Moving ahead into 2023, Daniel Ricciardo has signed an agreement with Red Bull to join the team as their third driver.

The 8-time race winner has outlined his intentions of returning to the F1 grid in 2024, explaining that he wants to make a comeback with a front-running team. 

A generous assessment would describe Ricciardo's ambitions of a comeback as optimistic, with a 2024 deal with a team like Red Bull seemingly very unlikely. 

Perez's current Red Bull deal keeps him with the Austrian team until the end of 2024, so there is no immediate threat. 

However, this has not stopped conversations about Ricciardo's long-term prospects with the team. As quoted by Sky Sports, Sergio Perez is unconcerned:

"We live under a lot of pressure all the time. It doesn't change anything from my side. 

"I think it's a great achievement from the team to have a driver like Daniel. 

"He's going to contribute a lot to our team... It's great to have Daniel in the team, and from my side, it doesn't change anything. 

"We started our careers at a similar time, so we've known each other a long time. I certainly get on with him."

Given that Ricciardo originally left Red Bull partly because of his dissatisfaction with the team dynamic, it seems unlikely he will be eager to make a comeback with the Austrian team.

In addition to this, Red Bull has expressed no interest in acquiring the 8-time race winner's services on a full-time basis. 

So although the turbulent nature of the 2022 market has shown that nothing in Formula 1 can be discarded, it would be highly speculative to suggest any major change is on the horizon at Red Bull.