Perez stays in 2024, but what about for 2025? 'Everything is open'

What is certain is that Max Verstappen will still race for the Austrian team, as his contract still runs. But for the second seat, no one is fixed yet.

Horner was asked by Sky Sports whether the battle for the seat next to Verstappen will simply be between Perez and Ricciardo. "Well as a team you want to field the most competitive pairing you can have. You want the right dynamic in the team," Horner said, before adding: "Max and Checo have been a tremendously successful pairing. Checo in his three years with us has finished fourth, third and second - so he’s on a good trajectory!"

Additional option with Ricciardo

Yet Daniel Ricciardo is also knocking on the wall, perhaps both figuratively and literally. The driver left Red Bull Racing after 2018 but is back after time with Renault and McLaren. At AlphaTauri, he replaced Nyck de Vries, but he does not hide his ambition to become Verstappen's teammate again.

"Daniel is well known to us, it’s great to have him back in the Red Bull fold.“Of course, everything is open for 2025 onwards.“So for us to have options both internally and also externally is no bad place to be," is all Horner will said about it. If Ricciardo wants to be seriously considered, he will at least have to get rid of Yuki Tsunoda next year, which has only succeeded in Mexico since his return.