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Tom Cary Senior Sports Correspondent 30 October 2023 4:40pm GMT Christian Horner has refused to offer any guarantees to Sergio Perez as speculation mounts over the Mexican’s future. Red

Bull’s team principal has, however, lavished praise on potential replacement Daniel Ricciardo, describing the Australian’s latest drive as “outstanding” and “remarkable”. Perez, 33, has one

year left on his Red Bull deal after the current season ends. But despite the use of a car which team-mate Max Verstappen has carried to 16 victories and counting this term, he is struggling

to hang on to second spot in the drivers’ standings. Perez crashed out of his home grand prix on Sunday, allowing Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who finished second, to move to within 20 points

of him with three races of the season remaining. Had Hamilton not been disqualified after finishing second in Austin the previous weekend, they would be virtually neck-and-neck now. Horner

has consistently defended Perez this season when asked about the driver’s future. But following his latest setback – which occurred just 14 seconds into the race after Perez collided with

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the opening bend – the Red Bull team principal was more circumspect.  “Sergio has an agreement with us for next year and our intention is for him to be in the

car in 2024,” Horner said, choosing his words carefully, before adding: “We will give him all the support he needs to ensure he finishes second in the championship.” Perez’s Red Bull future

may be contingent on ensuring the Milton Keynes team achieve their first ever one-two in the drivers’ championship, although Horner said it was not as “binary” as that. A possible switch

with Ricciardo in the AlphaTauri is another possibility. “There is no prerequisite that if he doesn’t finish second, he is out of the team,” Horner insisted. “It is not as binary as that.

You have to look at the circumstances [in Mexico]. “It was a tough moment for him in front of his home crowd and he was very emotional, but he wouldn’t be a racing driver if he didn’t go for

the lead at his home race. It is a big loss for him in a car that was capable of being on the podium. “He is a tough operator and that is why he is in the car, because mentally he has

always been able to bounce back. He will brush himself down and turn it into motivation. He has the full support of the team.” Either way, the pressure on Perez is mounting with Ricciardo –

who was cast adrift by McLaren at the end of last year, returning to Red Bull initially as a reserve driver – choosing the race in Mexico to produce his strongest performance since returning

to the grid with AlphaTauri in the summer. Ricciardo out-performed his modest machinery to finish seventh after qualifying an impressive fourth. “It was great to see Daniel perform so well

and it endorses our decision to bring him back,” Horner said after the race. “I thought he was outstanding this weekend and if it was not for the red flag, he would have finished further up

the order. “It was a remarkable performance and he is back to his old self. He is relaxed and confident.” Ricciardo’s case is strengthened by his strong friendship with Verstappen, whose

relationship with Perez has been strained since an incident in qualifying in Monaco last season. Ricciardo is also extremely popular with Red Bull’s marketing team as one of F1’s most

marketable drivers. There remains great fondness for Perez, too, despite the odd cutting remark from Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko. Not to mention an appreciation of the Mexican’s

value to Red Bull in the Latin American market. It is thought the team’s preference would be to honour his Red Bull contract, but to do so Perez is going to need to produce a big finish to

the season. Perez’s next opportunity to impress arrives at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix – the first of three concluding rounds this season, with Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi the final

double-header.