Perez details Red Bull issues after 'nightmare race'

Sergio Perez has stated he endured a “nightmare race” in Spain after crossing the line in eighth place. 

Perez started the race from 11th after a three-place grid penalty from the previous round in Canada was applied.

The Mexican driver struggled to make inroads throughout the grand prix, getting stuck in traffic during the first stint before adopting a three-stop strategy.

A last-lap overtake on Alpine's Pierre Gasly moved Perez up to eighth place in the order - however the 34-year-old conceded his race was lost in the opening laps.

“I think with the penalty that we had and where we started, it was so difficult to pass in that first stint,” Perez told media including RacingNews365. 

“My race was over. I was stuck behind Nico [Hulkenberg] and I was just sliding around really badly.

“It was a nightmare of a race. It was a very difficult race overall. In the end, we switched to the three-stop and we managed to come back into Gasly and secure P8. 

“But it was quite hard. I think everything was compromised on that first stint.”

Perez explains Red Bull car concerns

Perez suggested the issues that plagued his qualifying session carried over into the grand prix.

“I think I understood a lot of things that happened over the weekend and during the race,” he said. 

“The balance was quite off on the Softs, so that's quite linked to the qualifying issues we had. I think we can we can come back stronger.

“I was quite front-limited, I couldn't get the rotation and I couldn't get the power down.

“The problem I have at the moment is I can’t balance the car through all of the stints, struggling in the medium to low speed to be able to have the stability I need with the rotation.

“That's something I'm working on quite hard with the team with some aggressive changes for the weekend, which I don't think they work, so we will review those.”