Sergio Perez's Title Hopes May Have Just Taken A Major Hit In Monaco

More often than not, the most interesting part of a Monaco Grand Prix comes in qualifying and this year wasn't any different. However, Red Bull's Sergio Perez wouldn't be as happy about the level of excitement involved.

That's because Perez's hopes of usurping his teammate Max Verstappen as the Formula 1 World Champion took a big blow on Saturday.

In qualifying, Perez lost control of his car and went sliding into the barriers at the outside of the circuit's first corner, Sainte-Dévote.

The incident caused a red flag and ended Perez's qualifying session. That was so marshals could hoist the car of the circuit (and every other team could snap some photos of the underfloor).

At the time of the incident, Perez was well on his way to making it through to Q2. That would've meant that at worst he'd start the race in P15.

However, once the cars came back on the circuit there was so much track evolution that the Mexican plummeted down the timesheet into P20, where he will start the Grand Prix.

That's a big problem. Monaco is almost inarguably the toughest circuit to overtake at. Perez will need to get past a lot of cars just to score 1 point let alone stay within striking distance of his teammate in the standings.

Meanwhile, Verstappen locked up his first Monaco pole with a stellar final lap in Q3.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez's wrecked RB19 is hoisted off the Circuit de Monaco during qualifying. Sure;y, the team was pleased we all got a great look at the underfloor. (Photo by Jeff PACHOUD / AFP) (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images)

Horner Says Perez Will Be 'Kicking Himself'

“I can only think that maybe he was distracted by the Alpine on the right-hand side," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. "He just misjudged that first turn and the circuit was only going to get faster and faster. He’ll be kicking himself for that."

It was clear that the crash did a lot of damage to Perez's car. Horner said it may even necessitate a new chassis, just to play it safe.

“I think we might have to change… the chassis just as a precaution, to be honest with you."

It's worth noting he said this before the car had been returned to the garage.

Either way, Perez has his work cut out for him, even if he wants to score just to a few points.

Perez being stuck at the back of the field will limit Red Bull's strategy options up front. While the RB19 has been dominant, Monaco is thought to be one of its weaker circuits.

At the sharp end of the field, Max Verstappen will be batting with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Alpine's Esteban Ocon. The Frenchman qualified a surprise P4 before inheriting P3 thanks to a penalty dished out to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

It was one heck of a qualifying session. Between crashes, penalties, and some stellar performances we're left with a somewhat mixed-up grid. That could make this year's Monaco Grand Prix very, very interesting.

An entertaining Monaco would be a great way to start the greatest day in racing which includes the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola Zero all on the same day.

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