Sauber's Sergio Perez admits long recovery from Monaco crash surprised him

The Sauber driver crashed heavily at the chicane in Q3 in Monte Carlo, sustaining a concussion that ruled him out of the rest of the weekend. Perez attempted to return for Canada a fortnight later, but had to withdraw following practice.

Although those were the only two races he missed, the Mexican said issues from the accident lingered longer, and ultimately compromised his campaign.

Asked in a team interview if he was happy with his rookie season, Perez replied: "Well, I'm happy in terms of the speed I had but I'm not happy in terms of results and points.

"Also because of my accident I missed two races - Monaco and Canada - in which the car and the team performed very well. After I got back into the car it still took me a few more races until I was really a hundred per cent again.

"But regarding my overall performance in F1, I think I can be happy with my rookie season."

Perez admitted he had been surprised by how long it took to make a full recovery.

"Physically I had to wait. This wasn't easy, but it was important," he said. "When I got back into the car for free practice in Canada I realised the difficulties I had. I felt dizzy, so it was impossible to drive.

"Two weeks later in Valencia I felt a lot better and was able to drive. It was better again in Silverstone and at the Nurburgring, but it was only in Budapest that I felt I was completely over it.

"It had been a very heavy impact and I learnt it takes time to physically make sure you feel right after suffering from concussion. Mentally it was a shock too. It helped me a lot to go home to Mexico and it was important to do all that work to prepare for racing again."