Eddie Jordan feels there is "no way" that Daniel Ricciardo could better Sergio Perez in posing more of a challenge to Max Verstappen.
The opening five races of the 2023 F1 season have been dominated by Red Bull, with Verstappen and Perez claiming three and two wins respectively to give the team a 122-point lead over Aston Martin in the Constructors' Championship.
Verstappen sits at the top of the Drivers' standings with a 14-point advantage over Perez and, in the years ahead, David Coulthard expects several of Verstappen's contemporaries to attempt to challenge him at the front.
However, the former F1 driver finds it hard to imagine that anybody can take the fight to Verstappen in the same team.
Coulthard on 'machine' Verstappen
"I think we have a generation of drivers in their mid-20s that, for the next decade, are going to be trying to fight it out," Coulthard explained on the Formula For Success podcast.
"Basically, any one of those guys who get their hands on a race-winning car have a chance to challenge Max. Challenging Max in the same team is going to take a mighty effort, because Max is a machine.
"He's been groomed – in the nicest way of that expression – in terms of being on race tracks from an early age. Both parents have been racers.
"He's assertive, strong-willed and more than capable. Do you see anyone that could jump in Checo's car and leave Max thinking, 'Which way did he go?'"
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Perez doing a 'magic job', says Jordan
Fellow podcast guest Jordan reflected on the chances of Ricciardo, who is acting as a reserve driver for Red Bull in 2023.
Ricciardo was previously teammates with Verstappen at the squad between 2016 and 2018, but Jordan does not think that the Australian could match the current performance of Perez.
"I've gone through this on a number of occasions, and I actually think… Daniel Ricciardo is there," former team boss Jordan explained.
"There’s no way that Daniel's going to do the job that Checo's doing, in my opinion, having seen what Daniel has done.
"As much as we like the guy, he’s just a fabulous person to be around, but Checo is doing a magic job."
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