Mexican driver Sergio Perez suffered a concussion and sprained thigh but escaped serious injury after becoming the third driver to crash at the Monaco Grand Prix yesterday, when his Sauber flew out of the tunnel and skidded across the track late in the afternoon's qualifying session.

The Sauber driver lost control of his car as he was about to come out of the tunnel, and the front slid over to the right and slammed into the tunnel barrier. The car then span round and hit a tire wall on the circuit.

A medical crew rushed to Perez’s car, and a giant blanket was immediately draped over it. After a few minutes the battered car was lifted off the track.

Sauber team official Hanspeter Brack told reporters: “Sergio was conscious and he has been talking. He is now being brought to the hospital and we will have to wait for further information.”

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg and Hispania’s Vitantonio Liuzzi were both unharmed after crashing in practice earlier yesterday.

Rosberg crashed at almost exactly the same spot as Perez, who is racing in his debut season, but the Mexican’s accident was more violent.

He was too wide coming out of the tunnel, and the impact of hitting the side the tunnel side projected his car sideways out of the exit tunnel and about 30 metres down into the tire wall.

One of the Sauber car’s tires rolled down the track seconds after the car had slammed into the tire wall, and another incident was thankfully avoided as there was no other car immediately behind Perez.

Qualifying was suspended with only a few minutes left, and drivers sat waiting in their cars for it to resume.

Early into yesterday’s morning practice, Rosberg walked away unharmed when the German driver ploughed into a crash barrier after flying out of the tunnel and swerving off to the right.

Toward the end, a second red flag went up when Liuzzi crashed sideways into the barriers at the Sainte Devolte turn. The Italian was also unharmed and his Hispania car was airlifted away.