Saudi F1 struggles show Ferrari not second best, says Sainz

The Spaniard finished some 36 seconds adrift of Red Bull victor Sergio Perez in Jeddah to clock sixth place, one spot ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc – who was recovering from a 10-place gird drop.

That penalty was earned for a change of the control electronics unit after Leclerc retired from the Bahrain season-opener, while Sainz was fourth a fortnight ago as Ferrari struggled with its tyres.

Initially the team attributed the extreme degradation to the abrasive…