Perez blames shoulder injury for latest Red Bull woes

Sergio Perez has blamed a shoulder injury sustained shortly before qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix for his latest Red Bull woe.

Perez will start from ninth on the grid at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, finishing a full second in Q3 behind team-mate Max Verstappen who starts second alongside Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton who chalked up his 100th pole position.

Perez, however, was a little circumspect as to the exact nature of the injury to his left shoulder and how it was sustained, but is confident he will physically be fine for the race.

"I did struggle," said Perez. "I didn't feel 100 per cent with myself today. I had a bit of an issue with my shoulder through qualifying and I was feeling bad all the way through it.

"It was getting worse and worse as quali developed. I don't know [what I've done]. We are looking into it."

Asked if it was particularly painful, he replied: "Yeah, it was. It was getting worse and worse.

"I don't think it's something I've done with the car. We don't know 100 per cent what it is.

"But I've spoken to the team, we've reviewed everything and we should be back to 100 per cent tomorrow."

Perez notably spun on his first lap in Q3 after the edge of his left-front wheel caught the gravel on the approach to turn 13, putting him under pressure for his second run.

"It was just a bad day," added Perez. "I didn't get a good lap throughout the day. Q1 was looking all right, but I didn't make any progress after that.

"I wasn't 100 per cent so it was very hard to get the best out of the car in qualifying.

"It was the toughest qualifying [since joining Red Bull], not feeling 100 per cent. Physically it was a big limitation."

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