Red Bull driver Sergio Perez is convinced that Ferrari's Carlos Sainz would have emerged victorious in the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, even if Max Verstappen hadn't encountered issues during the race. Perez's statement comes after Verstappen experienced a stuck brake right from the start, ultimately forcing him to retire on lap 4.

Despite Verstappen's troubles, Perez highlights Ferrari's impressive race performance and their effective handling of front tyre graining, which was evident during practice sessions. When asked by Sky Sports F1 if Ferrari would have still triumphed without Verstappen's problems, Perez confidently responded, "Absolutely."

Perez admits that his own team struggled with pace throughout the weekend, saying, "We were already struggling from Friday and we couldn't find a way to manage our tyres effectively." The Mexican driver finished in fifth place after struggling to make progress from his starting position of sixth on the grid. He points out that circuits like Albert Park, where the front tyres face more stress than the rears, pose a weakness for the Milton Keynes outfit.

"We could see that Ferrari and McLaren were a step ahead of us. We couldn't find the right balance and there is work to be done for the upcoming races," Perez acknowledges, emphasizing Ferrari's strength on front-limited tracks similar to Melbourne.

Perez's race was further hindered by a three-place grid penalty for impeding in qualifying, which pushed him back to sixth on the starting grid. This resulted in him getting caught behind the struggling Mercedes of George Russell at the race start, ultimately affecting his tyre strategy.

Reflecting on his performance, Perez admits, "The race would have looked different had we not been stuck behind Russell in the first stint." He expresses disappointment in not being able to catch up to fourth-placed Oscar Piastri in the McLaren, falling 18 seconds behind him before Russell's crash.

With plenty of room for improvement, Perez believes there is a lot of understanding and analysis to be done following a challenging weekend for Red Bull. It remains to be seen how the team will address their struggles and come back stronger in the next races.

Information sourced from: Motorsport.com