Perez issues Red Bull apology over 'unacceptable' error

Sergio Perez has offered Red Bull an apology for his "unacceptable" qualifying error that left him on the back foot for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Mexican was never able to recover from the heavy crash that saw him start with the back of the grid at the tight and twisting street circuit following extensive repairs by his team overnight.

Red Bull opted to start Perez on Mediums and pitted at the end of the opening lap in an attempt to provide him with clean air to make up time on the pack and leapfrog those in front during the conventional pit-stop window.

But last year's race winner Perez had caught the back of the pack by lap 10, thwarting his progress.

After further incidents and the arrival of rain late in the race, Perez was able to finish only 16th - two laps down on teammate and winner Max Verstappen, falling 39 points behind in the fight for the F1 Drivers' crown.

"We paid the price from my mistake [in qualifying]," conceded Perez when speaking to media, including RacingNews365.com.

"That has been very costly and I just have to apologise to the whole team because it is unacceptable to have this kind of mistake.

"I have to move on, learn from it. I cannot afford another zero [points] in the championship."

Perez: 'It was all a mess'

Perez's comeback may have been thwarted early in the race by traffic, but contact with George Russell and Kevin Magnussen left him in need of a new front wing.

"It was going really well," Perez insisted when assessing his race.

"Unfortunately, I hit the traffic really early. Then the rain came, we were one of the last ones to pit. Then I hit the wall, it was all a mess.

"Magnussen just broke out of the chicane. It just went bad. When you are in that position, you have to risk a lot."