Sainz failing to match Leclerc a 'disadvantage' for Red Bull

Helmut Marko admits that Carlos Sainz' current performance deficit to Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc isn't good news for Red Bull.

Leclerc heads into this weekend's Australian Grand Prix with a twelve-point lead in the Drivers' standings over Sainz, thanks to his win in Bahrain and runner-up spot in Saudi Arabia and to Red Bull's double DNF at Sahir.

But so far, the Spaniard has underperformed his Scuderia teammate, admitting to suffering from a lack of feeling for Ferrari's F1-75 which he needs to better understand.

But Red Bull is banking on Sainz taking points away from Leclerc which in turn would play into the hands of the Milton Keynes-based outfit and into to its championship ambitions.

So far, that prospect hasn't played out as expected Marko admits.

"I was pleasantly surprised last year that he [Sainz] was on the same level as Leclerc, and I was actually hoping that it would be the same this year," said the Austrian.

“But you could already see it in the tests, and you could also see it in the race, that he's missing about three to four tenths.

"And that is a disadvantage for us because we believed that the two would take points away from each other. That is not the case at the moment.

"But Sainz is an intelligent, fast man. I assume he will sort things out accordingly and then hopefully get a boost."

• Read also: Sainz 'experimenting' to get a hold on new Ferrari

Marko dismissed the possibility of Red Bull fighting Leclerc by putting its full weight behind Max Verstappen, arguing that it's too early in the season to rely on team orders, especially given Sergio Perez's current level of performance.

"That was made clear before the [Saudi] race, that at such an early stage, when both still had zero points, there would be no team orders whatsoever," he said.

Red Bull's motorsport boss says the Mexican has adapted well to F1's new-generation cars, which hasn't been the case for all drivers.

"If you look at teams, it's different. Some drivers have gotten closer, with Ferrari it's the opposite," added the Red Bull chief.

"I think with Perez, there are two factors. First the car suits him more, so he feels more comfortable. And secondly, the team knows him better.

"His race engineer has also grown with the task, so there's more self-confidence, more know-how. And in general, we are very happy that this development has taken place."

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