Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has strongly criticized Sergio Perez for his “stupid mistake” during qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix, which resulted in the Mexican driver starting from the back of the grid.
Perez, aiming to secure pole position and establish himself as Red Bull’s street race specialist, crashed his RB19 eight minutes into Q1 when he approached Sainte Devote corner too quickly and lost control, colliding with the barriers. The damage to the rear left of his car, including the sidepods, meant his qualifying session came to an immediate end.
Marko expressed his disappointment with Perez’s error, stating that a driver with a car of that caliber should not be eliminated in Q1 due to such a mistake. He criticized the incident as a “stupid mistake” on Perez’s part and suggested that the driver may have been overly focused on the World Championship standings.
The crash dealt a significant blow to Perez’s championship aspirations, as he currently trails his teammate Max Verstappen by 14 points in the standings. As a result of the qualifying incident, Perez will start from the 20th and last position on the grid, while Verstappen secured pole position.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner tried to understand the cause of Perez’s costly crash, suggesting that the driver may have been “distracted” by traffic on the right-hand side of the circuit. Horner acknowledged that Perez would be frustrated with his mistake, emphasizing that he entered the turn too fast and made contact with the barriers.
Perez himself took full responsibility for the incident, expressing disbelief and disappointment in his own actions. He described the crash as catching him by surprise, with the rear of the car losing control late into the corner. Despite acknowledging the mistake in his approach to extract the maximum lap time, Perez expressed his frustration and admitted that the race on Sunday would be incredibly challenging for him.
As Perez prepares for the Monaco Grand Prix, starting from the back of the grid, he faces an uphill battle to make progress in the race and salvage any points. The incident serves as a reminder of the fine margins in Formula 1 and the impact that a single mistake can have on a driver’s prospects in a highly competitive championship.
