After Sergio Perez reported feeling unwell in the first free practice session for the Canadian Grand Prix, Sauber has decided he should miss one race on grounds of safety.

His illness could be a consequence of the accident he suffered in qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix, admitted the team in a brief statement. Pedro de la Rosa will drive the second C30 alongside Kamui Kobayashi.

"This development hit us by surprise," admitted Peter Sauber, "because Sergio underwent thorough medical checks, first in the hospital in Monaco, then in a hospital in Zürich, and finally, the FIA doctors gave him the green light this Thursday in Montreal. Nobody could have foreseen that he would feel unwell. Maybe we are being overly cautious, but when it's about the health of our drivers we take zero risks."

"Of course I wanted to drive and I had no doubt I was alright," said Perez. "But apparently this is unfortunately not the case. I am deeply disappointed. I spoke to the team after the session and told them that I'm not a hundred per cent fit. I only want to drive when I'm a hundred per cent well. I need some more time to recover."

"We want to thank Pedro de la Rosa and McLaren for helping us out in this situation," added Sauber.