Sergio Perez was absent from media day at the Austrian Grand Prix due to illness. The Red Bull driver, who is second in the championship standings behind team-mate Max Verstappen, “became unwell” on Wednesday night. With qualifying taking place on Friday this weekend with the sprint format in place, the 32-year-old took the decision not to go to the Red Bull Ring on Thursday. “He became unwell last night and is taking the day to rest to ensure he’s in the best possible health for this weekend’s race,” Red Bull said in a statement. Perez trails Verstappen by 69 points in the world championship. Despite two wins from the opening four races, the Mexican has struggled in recent weeks and is now only nine points clear of Fernando Alonso in third. This weekend’s action in Spielberg sees the second of six sprint weekends this season. Qualifying for the grand prix now takes place on Friday, with Saturday a designated “sprint day” with “sprint shootout” quickfire qualifying in the morning followed by the sprint race in the afternoon. Read More Are Red Bull now the most successful F1 team ever – and how long can this dominance last? What is a sprint race in F1 and how does new qualifying shootout work? F1 team bid confirmed for 2026 season after major investment