Perez reacts to another disappointment: 'Made changes that didn't help'

Another lacklustre qualifying performance from Sergio Perez leaves much to be desired in the Red Bull garage, as the Mexican can only manage P9 at the end of Q3.

Despite repeated struggles in qualifying over the last few weekends, Perez wants to part with some of the blame for today's performance. "Yes, it's what happens in these sprint events, unfortunately. But it's just part of the challenges, so we'll see what we are able to do from tomorrow," Perez said on F1TV.

Team boss Christian Horner reported that Perez had been working in the simulator for three days during the week. But it still didn't help Perez get closer to the front-row, though even Verstappen found it a challenge. Perez tried to explain what happened: "We did some changes that probably didn't help us as much".

The Red Bull driver is hoping to reverse his fortune tomorrow. "The margins were so tight today that I think we would have looked so much different in the qualifying. But we are on the wrong side of it, so hopefully, tomorrow we can have a better shootout and get some points."