Sergio Perez points the finger at the conditions for his latest qualifying debacle in 2023 F1 British GP

Sergio Perez blamed the intermittent conditions in Silverstone for his dismal qualifying performance. The Mexican failed to make it out of Q1 after failing to set a banker lap before the red flag.

Perez was caught out by the extended duration of the red flag that was brought out in the middle of Q1 and was seen sitting at the end of the pit-lane for almost 10 minutes before finally being allowed to go out.

As a result, the driver was unable to get heat into his tires, causing him to put in a lap capable of only P16 on the grid. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Sergio Perez said about his qualifying debacle:

"The red flag lasted a lot longer than we thought, so we ended up waiting (at the end of the pit lane) for a long time. That was a bit unfortunate. Initially, I couldn't get enough temperature into the tyre and I've been struggling in these conditions with the car lately."

To the driver's dismay, his teammate and two-time world champion Max Verstappen put his Red Bull on pole position, ahead of the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Juan Pablo Montoya gave his advice to Sergio Perez ahead of the 2023 F1 British GP

Juan Pablo Montoya believes that Perez should stop focusing on Max Verstappen's performance and should get on with his own campaign if he wants to succeed at Silverstone.

However, given that the Mexican will start Sunday's race in P16, he is going to have to fight through the grid once again if he wants to try and compete with his teammate. Max Verstappen, on the other hand, secured his fifth consecutive pole position in 2023.

While previewing the British GP with VegasInsider, Montoya advised Sergio Perez:

“The number one question mark is, what will happen with Checo Perez? Is Checo going to pull it together and get a lap in qualifying? It gets to a point where he needs to stop trying so hard because the car is fast enough. It's okay if you make it to Q3 being sixth or seventh and being six-tenths off your teammate. And then in Q3 you try and see what happens. He just needs to see what happens and put a banker lap for the top five and then give it his all.”

Sergio Perez has made it a habit of having to charge through the grid after starting in the back due to consecutive poor qualifying performances. It will be interesting to see how far up the Mexican can take his car in the main race at Silverstone.