Horner: Red Bull “not short of options”, insists Perez is safe if he loses P2

Perez currently sits 39 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ standings with four rounds remaining.

The Mexican’s grip on P2 strengthened after Hamilton’s disqualification at the Circuit of the Americas.

It was a timely boost for Perez, who has been subject to intense media pressure and reports in recent races.

It’s been suggested that Red Bull will look to replace Perez if he doesn’t hold onto second in the championship.

However, Horner has been quick to downplay this claim.

"There's no pre-mandate like that,” he said.

"We've never finished first and second in a championship. We've finished first and third a few times with Mark [Webber] and Sebastian [Vettel] and we did it last year with Max and Checo. 

"With this car it'll be fantastic for in such a season that we've had to finish it first and second. 

"But there's no pre-mandate on Checo that says 'You have to finish second or you won't be driving the car next year' that's never been discussed.”

Looking ahead to 2025, Horner admitted Red Bull won’t be “short of options”.

"We're certainly not short of options [for the 2025 seat]," said Horner. 

"Of course we've got plenty of plenty of time to look and evaluate that. But there are so many factors involved in that."