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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said that there will be an open race for the championship between their drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Verstappen leads his Mexican teammate by a point after two races. Both drivers have won one race apiece and are expected to fight till the end of the season. Speaking to Sky News, Horner said that both drivers will have the same machinery and opportunity to stake their claim in the battle. He said:
"For us as a team, the responsibility is to give both drivers the same chance, the same opportunity, the same car - it's then down to what they do on the circuit. We've got two great drivers in Max and Sergio; there's a healthy respect between the two of the them. I expect that to continue."
"Checo knows what he's up against" - Former world champion on battle between Red Bull drivers
Former F1 world champion Damon Hill has said that Sergio Perez is aware of the challenge he faces going against reigning double world champion Max Verstappen.
Speaking to Autosport, he said:
"Checo knows what he's up against, but he's not going to go down without a fight. It could be quite interesting. I think the problem that you have is that Max is a bit of a force of nature, and it's how much pressure he can put on the team to make sure his championship aspirations are not interfered with by Checo."
Hill continued:
"From the point of view of the sport, I think that they need to let Checo have every opportunity to fight with a level playing field within that team. Because I know the pressure from the Verstappens, his dad as well, on Red Bull will be intense. He'll be pulling out the card of saying, 'I'm your future. The whole opportunity is built around me', and he'll be leveraging them.
Hill also speculated on how Verstappen would be reeling after his second-place finish in Jeddah:
"Checo has got people in his corner, and we'll see how it plays out. Whatever happens, the Verstappens won't be taking it lying down. You saw after Saudi Arabia that Max was. ... I would say sulking is not too strong a word. He looked very unhappy about the way things went. They don't like coming second."
It will be fascinating to see if Perez can push his Red Bull teammate all the way during the season.
