'He will play an increasing role in the Red Bull team'

Valtteri Bottas was not entirely dissatisfied with his performance after the first two free practice sessions. While the Finn was on P1 after the first free practice, he only had to put up with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in the second free practice. At Red Bull, the drivers' performance was more mixed.

Sergio Pérez will be Verstappen's teammate for the first time this season. Although the driver has years of experience in Formula 1, he currently has a hard time being one of the top drivers. During the first free practice he seemed to be closing the gap with a third position, but later on the day things deteriorated and he had to settle for a tenth place.

Confidence in Pérez

However, it does not mean that Red Bull no longer has confidence in Pérez after a number of races. Team boss Christian Horner told in conversation with Motorsport-Total that he is sure the Mexican will improve himself quickly. "As he becomes more comfortable, he will start to play a bigger and bigger role in the team. He also brings a lot of experience and knowledge. Formula 1 is a team sport," Horner said.

Mercedes had it right during the first Grand Prix day in Portugal. Hamilton and Bottas each drove a free practice session at the front. Horner thinks it won't take long for Pérez to reach the same performance. "Of course both cars score points. It's important that both drivers are at the front as far as possible."