‘Ferrari on another level’ – Sergio Perez concerned over Red Bull reliability issues

Sergio Perez believes Ferrari are way ahead of the rest of the Formula 1 grid after Red Bull suffered yet more mechanical failure during Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc claimed victory at the Albert Park Circuit to extend his lead in the championship to an unprecedented 34 points after just three races, while the Italian team lead the Constructors standings with almost double the points of Red Bull in third, with Mercedes in second.

While Perez finished second in Australia, he only inherited the position after teammate and reigning world champion Max Verstappen broke down with engine failure in the closing stages.

It was the third mechanical DNF for Red Bull in the opening three races, after both cars failed to finish in Bahrain, and while their car is clearly very quick, as shown by Perez’s pole and Verstappen’s win in Saudi Arabia, the reliability of the RB18 must be addressed.

On Monday, Verstappen claimed that ‘there is no reason to believe’ in his chances of defending his title, and while Perez is not quite that pessimistic, he agrees that the team have a lot of catching up to do.

The Mexican said: ‘It’s certainly a concern. We’ve lost a lot of points already in these first three races that in the end can make a huge difference in the championship. So, we are obviously aware of it.

‘All the team back home in Milton Keynes are working flat out to try to come up with solutions. I’m sure we will turn things around and hopefully we can start again from zero when we go back to Europe.’

Round four of the F1 season takes place at Imola in Italy next weekend, where Verstappen claimed victory last season, and Red Bull will be hoping to beat Ferrari and upset the home crowd once again.

But Perez is remaining