Sergio Perez believes Ferrari would have won even if Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen had not retired from the Australian Grand Prix.
Verstappen took three pole positions from three for the 2024 F1 season opener in Australia, but despite securing the lead off the line, problems with his right rear brake that he had been experiencing from the start of the run soon arose. It turned out to be a terminal event, with the previous winner going to Verstappen. He won nine Grands Prix, leading to early retirement.
Sergio Perez doesn't think Max Verstappen could have stopped Ferrari
Red Bull started the season with back-to-back 1-2 finishes, but Ferrari had a chance to take the win as Carlos Sainz held off Charles Leclerc to give Ferrari a 1-2 lead.
And while Verstappen has been the clear pacesetter so far in 2024 F1, Perez doesn't believe his teammate in a fully fit Red Bull RB20 could have stopped the Ferrari at Albert Park.
Asked by Sky F1 if Ferrari would have won even without Verstappen's DNF, Perez replied: “Absolutely.”
Recommended by PlanetF1.com
7 must-see F1 weekends to complete your 2024 bucket list – how to get there as cheaply as possible
2024 F1 cars: What names did teams name their chassis for the 2024 season?
Perez, who finished fifth, nearly a minute behind Sainz, expanded on his theory, claiming that McLaren was also “a step ahead” but that front tire management would be a major obstacle in Sunday's Grand Prix. He said it had become.
McLaren's Lando Norris secured third place and joined the Ferrari drivers on the podium.
“Unfortunately we didn't have the pace,” Perez admitted.
“Early on we could see that Ferrari and McLaren were a step ahead of us. I think we just couldn't find the balance within the window. What we need to do for the upcoming races There are several.
“It's a very unique pavement and we weren't able to manage the best grip levels all weekend.
“We just didn't have the pace all weekend.
“We were already struggling on Friday and didn't manage the tires very well. I think we need to understand and be able to improve.
“As we have already seen last year at tracks like this, such as in Las Vegas, the Ferraris were much stronger than us, so we couldn't take care of the front tires.”
Interestingly, Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko took a different view from Perez on Red Bull's pace against Ferrari, saying the race result would have been “completely different” had Verstappen not been forced to retire. He claimed to be deaf.
“I spoke to Max and he said that although there were some problems, it was relatively easy to keep up with Sainz's pace,” Marko said. Empty Germany.
“If Max had been in the race, the result would have been completely different.”
Verstappen retained the lead in the drivers' championship despite his DNF, but the race for the top spot is now very close, with Leclerc just four points behind and Perez one.
Read next: Carlos Sainz asks Ferrari for buyer's remorse after replacing Lewis Hamilton
