Former McLaren driver does not think bringing Daniel Ricciardo back is a warning shot for Sergio Perez

Former F1 driver Pedro de la Rosa reckons Daniel Ricciardo's return to F1 with Red Bull's sister team AlphaTauri is not a warning sign for Sergio Perez. Though it is clear that the Mexican driver has experienced a slight dip in performance, especially in qualifying sessions, almost all the Red Bull seniors are currently backing him. There have been several rumors surrounding Checo and how Ricciardo's being on the team is somewhat of a pressure for him.

However, Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, de la Rosa feels otherwise. He does not think Daniel Ricciardo's return to the grid should impact Sergio Perez's future with Red Bull. He also explained how even the Austrian-British team does not know for sure since it depends on how Ricciardo and Checo perform in the next few races. He said:

"I don't think so, no. I don't think there is a strategy to say 'oh we are bringing Daniel just to warm up for the future'. I don't know, I mean, I don't think they know at this stage. It very much depends on Daniel Ricciardo. But this is Formula One, it's a mental game, and whatever you do in a race car, and whatever special it is what you can achieve on a Sunday it will have an effect on your future, on where you go."

Furthermore, he stated that for Ricciardo to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull, he must keep his head down and race as hard as possible to show his worth. A former McLaren F1 driver concluded:

"So I don't think it's the purpose of this change is just to put pressure on Sergio or bring him in. But I think for Daniel, you have to take every chances as if it's your last race, and make sure that you bring back the keys, the car keys, but not necessarily the car, and prove that you are back and you still have the speed. Because let's not forget that Daniel was very, very quick."

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Sergio Perez admits that he cannot compete with Max Verstappen in the 2023 F1 season

At the start of the 2023 F1 season, Sergio Perez had some brilliant races and was quite close to putting up a fair fight against Max Verstappen for the title. However, ever since the Miami GP, he has not won any races and has stood on only two podiums. Meanwhile, the Dutchman has won six consecutive races since Miami.

Hence, Checo recently admitted that the best result that he can try to achieve is to finish second in the drivers' championship. RacingNews365 quoted the Red Bull driver as saying:

"In Formula 1, only your position in Abu Dhabi counts, but I'm not second in the standings by miracle. I've won races. I've had a few bad races, but there are still plenty of opportunities for us. The goal now? Undoubtedly the number two in the world."

Sergio Perez is currently second in the drivers' championship with only 156 points, while Max Verstappen leads the table with 255 points.