Red Bull future is in my own hands, insists Perez

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Sergio Perez has no concerns about Daniel Ricciardo’s recent promotion to Alpha Tauri and what it might mean for his immediate future at Red Bull.

Eight-time race winner Ricciardo has replaced Nyck de Vries at the company’s second team from this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix onwards and has made it clear he wants to return to Red Bull once Perez’s contract expires at the end of 2024.

Given Perez’s struggle to match teammate Max Verstappen’s dominant form some have suggested a swap could happen even earlier.

Perez said Ricciardo is no different to any other driver in wanting to drive the sport’s leading car.

“I’m happy for Daniel, he’s very motivated to be back, so well done to him,” Perez said on Thursday. “It’s a great opportunity for him.

“From my side it doesn’t change anything because I drive for Red Bull, there’s not just Daniel out there. It’s Yuki [Tsunoda], it’s more than half of the grid would like to drive for Red Bull. So it doesn’t change anything.”

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has suggested Perez will see out his current contract with Red Bull, with Ricciardo targeting a return to the team in 2025.

When asked if he still felt confident he was in control of his future, Perez said: “It’s in my hands, correct. That’s why I’m focused.

“I’m a winner, I don’t like having bad weekends, it’s not what I’m here for. I’d rather be at home doing something else. I’m here because I know that I can do it and I’ve done it before. People on the sofa forget how much in the little bit we are.

“You’ve seen it with other drivers, other teams, they’ve had difficult periods. But then they don’t have [speculation about] 20 replacements after each session like they do with the Red Bull drivers.”

Perez has struggled to match the dominant form of teammate Max Verstappen and has not made the final qualifying session five times in a row.

Verstappen is on a six-race winning streak and leads Perez in the championship by a mammoth 99 points –…