Sergio Perez has relished having a weekend away from Formula 1, with the under-pressure Red Bull driver highlighting the importance of escaping all the "noise".
The Mexican driver has endured a difficult run of form ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix which has seen him pick up just 15 points across the last six races, raising serious concerns over his Red Bull future.
It has been speculated that Perez could lose his seat as early as the upcoming summer break, as he is set to breach two performance-related clauses in his contract.
RacingNews365 understands that Perez has it in his new contract that he must enter the summer break no more than 100 points adrift of Max Verstappen, and be within five places of the Dutchman in the championship.
As things stand, Perez is five places behind Verstappen but 137 points behind with two races still to go before the summer shutdown. Currently, Red Bull would have the option of replacing Perez.
He remained busy last weekend in the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where he was part of Red Bull's 20th anniversary celebration.
Red Bull drivers from the past and the present took on the iconic Goodwood hill in a selection of Red Bull F1 cars, something Perez thoroughly enjoyed.
"I think you can see how special Red Bull Racing is in moments like Goodwood Festival of Speed, to see our history so clearly, running up the hill together, reminds you of how much we have achieved and how much we still have to achieve," said Perez.
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Perez training hard
There is no overlooking the fact that Perez requires an impressive performance in the Hungaroring this weekend, to silence several questions over his future.
Enduring a mid-season struggle is something Perez has become somewhat known for, as he experienced a similar performance slump last season.
To hopefully overcome his poor run of results in Hungary, the 34-year-old has spent time in the simulator and with his team and family.
"It has been good to be able to have a period of time following the British GP, being able to take yourself away from the noise of the racetrack can sometimes be especially important," said Perez.
"While I have spent time with my family and trained hard, I have also been in the factory with my team, on the sim and analysing how we improve this current period of form.
"We always work together on solutions and that is what we have been doing, working as a team to overcome things."
Also interesting:
In the latest episode of the RacingNews365 podcast, Ian and Nick look ahead to this weekend's Hungarian GP and who the favourites are for victory! Sergio Perez's future and the drivers who could potentially replace him are also discussed.
Rather watch than listen to the podcast? Click here.
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