Perez or Ricciardo at Red Bull? Verstappen inputs on debate

Max Verstappen has weighed in on the driver pairing debate at Red Bull amid questions over Sergio Perez's future with the team.

Perez has struggled for form throughout the current campaign despite Red Bull's dominance and is currently fighting to secure second place in the Drivers' Championship over Lewis Hamilton.

The Mexican driver has a contract in place for next year and Red Bull has clarified on a number of occasions that Perez won't be replaced before then.

However, speculation over Perez's future hasn't ceased with Daniel Ricciardo being named as a potential replacement.

Ricciardo returned to F1 midway through the year with AlphaTauri and starred last time out in Mexico en route to a seventh-place result.

The Australian driver partnered Verstappen at Red Bull from 2016 to 2018 before opting to take his career in a different direction.

Verstappen neutral over F1 team-mate

Verstappen has asserted that he is focusing on his own job at Red Bull but admits that he would be happy to compete alongside either driver.

“I always had a great relationship with Daniel when we were teammates and when we weren’t,” Verstappen told media including RacingNews365.

“At the same time, I have a great relationship with Checo, I find it a bit unfair to now sit here and say who I would prefer as a team-mate.

“They have been great teammates, and it's not up to me at the end of the day to make these kinds of decisions because I'm very focused on my own performance.

“If it's Checo next year, then great. I have a great working relationship with him, but also personally, I think he's a great guy.

“If it's Daniel then also we will get along fine and we'll have a great time.

“F1 can be a tough sport like you asking these kinds of questions. But maybe also nothing happens right so we'll see.”