Perez: 'It doesn't matter if Ricciardo is here or not'

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez insists that he's not bothered about the return of Daniel Ricciardo to the team in his new role as the squad's third driver for the 2023 season.

There's been speculation that Ricciardo's return to the team where he made his reputation is designed to put Perez under pressure to succeed - and moreover to toe the line in his partnership with Max Verstappen.

There were frayed tempers between the pair toward the end of last season, with a public row between them over team orders at the end of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil.

• Read also: Ricciardo 'not foaming at the mouth yet' for return to F1

Ultimately it contributed to Perez losing the chance to pip Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to runners-up spot in the drivers championship, which had already been won in dominant fashion by Verstappen.

The teams decision to hire Ricciardo after he was let go by McLaren at the end of last season is seen by some as a way of making it clear that no one is irreplaceable and that there are options if anyone should step out of line.

But at he team's 2023 launch event in New York City on Friday, Perez made it clear that Ricciardo's presence at Milton Keynes made little difference to the way he approached his job.

“When you are at Red Bull Racing you have to perform at your best," he told the media. "It doesn’t matter if Daniel is here or not because Red Bull can pick pretty much any driver from the grid.

“It’s important to work as a team,” he continued. "It's clear we want to maximise the team effort.

“It’s not all about Max or myself, it’s about the team. We have people in the factory giving everything for us, so we have to respond in that regard."

Rather than resenting the prodigal son's return, Perez made it clear that having Ricciardo involved in this year's campaign would boost the whole organisation.

“We are fortunate to have Daniel, with the level of experience that he has,” Perez added. “To have him back at the factory with the engineers.

“When we talk about the car, he knows what we are talking about. To have him around at weekends will really help," he insisted.

And the 33-year-old Mexican driver - who joined Red Bull at the end of 2020 just weeks after clinching his maiden Grand Prix victory with Racing Point at Sakhir - is determined to play his full part.

“I am working very hard on my side with my engineers to make sure that we can make the next step," signalling that he intended ot be in the running for this year's title in his own right and not just a wingman for Verstappen.

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