Red Bull are a 'one-man team' because of Perez: 'Needs a deep breath'

"This break is is good for Sergio Perez. It gives him time to take a deep breath," Friesacher - who raced for Minardi in the first half of 2005 - commented. "Red Bull's decision to continue with him shows that they are behind him. That is good for him and can help him get out of the downward spiral he is currently in."

Red Bull's lead gets smaller and smaller

The Austrian team desperately need the points, as their lead over McLaren in the constructors' classification is down to 42 points. "That is due to the fact that Red Bull have recently become a one-man team. With 277 points, Max has scored more than twice as many points as Sergio with 131," said the Austrian driver. "Sergio is a very strong driver on a good day. He has put in a solid performance in the first races of the season. If he's two or three tenths behind Max, that's totally fine. Max is an exceptional talent."

In recent months, things have not been going well for the Mexican veteran and so his position was on the line. After the Belgian Grand Prix, Red Bull decided to leave him in the second RB20 for now. The case then is that Perez has to improve.

Perez has high expectations for himself

"But Sergio himself builds up the pressure during the year. He wants to win races, he wants to be world champion. It's enough if a few small things don't go right in free practice and he doesn't feel 100 per cent comfortable in the car. As soon as he gets out of the car, he keeps getting the same questions from journalists. Some drivers find it easier to deal with, others start to think about it and at some point it gets stuck in the back of their minds," Friesacher concluded.

This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sarkozi