Speaking on the MontoyAS podcast, the former Williams driver revealed that he had met the same fate as the Mexican: “The only person who ever sent me to get checked out because he said there was something wrong with me was Helmut Marko.

“I went once — maybe twice — and nothing came of it. They had all these little things, including a wand with a gold tip that she used to ‘read energies’.”

When asked whether he had to pay as much as Perez, Montoya added: “No — but for the money I had back then, it felt like it. It was like charging Checo £600,000 instead of £6,000.

“I spent around $100 at the time, and I had no money at all. I couldn’t even afford a car — I was getting around by bus, and sometimes I didn’t even take the bus; I used rollerblades to save money. I travelled to races with the team, and now imagine spending $100 — basically a month’s groceries.”

Appearing on the Cracks Podcast, Perez opened up about a specific moment early in his Red Bull stint, revealing that after a run of underwhelming results in the opening races, he was advised, just like Montoya, to see a psychologist — with Helmut Marko ultimately covering the cost of the session.

“As soon as I arrived at Red Bull, in the first few races when the results weren’t coming, they told me: ‘What you need is a psychologist. You have to see a psychologist.’ I was completely open to it, so I agreed.”