Sergio Perez experienced a weekend to forget in Monaco, as he suffered an embarrassing and avoidable incident in qualifying that left him starting the race from the back of the grid.
The race didn’t turn out any better, as Perez made contact with Lance Stroll and Kevin Magnussen, as well as colliding with the barriers a number of times, forcing him to pit multiple times.
Enduring a nightmare weekend, Perez failed to secure points, only making up four places to finish in P16, while his teammate Max Verstappen took victory and 25 points, extending his championship lead.
“Everything went wrong there,” Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said after the race, claiming that Perez’s crash was “not irresponsible but unreasonable.”
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“I hope that today’s mistakes are enough for the rest of the season. In general, his speed when he drove free was good. But his crash in qualifying ruined the weekend,” he told Sky Deutschland.
While Perez was riding high after winning last year’s Monaco Grand Prix, he will be leaving this years frustrated that he could have thrown away his chance of challenging for the Drivers’ Standings.
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Verstappen now appears on course to secure his third world championship in a row, with a 39 point lead over his teammate.
Although Perez left Monaco with a poor result, Verstappen’s victory ensured that Red Bull retained its impressive lead in the Constructors’ Standings, 129 points ahead of Aston Martin.
Heading to Barcelona, Red Bull will be keen to continue their 100% win record this season, having also secured four one-two finishes out of six races.