Red Bull hopes Carlos Sainz will get a "boost" and join the battle between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.

The first two races have seen head-to-head duels between the Dutchman and the Monegasque with each one winning once.

Leclerc's sudden advantage over Sainz though has come as a surprise to Helmut Marko, particularly after the Spaniard's impressive 2021.

"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 via F1i.com.

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“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."

Carlos' main issue has been adapting to the very different 2022 car compared to last year, but was more optimistic after a better race in Jeddah.

“I was happier than in Bahrain, definitely,” he said. “There has been a bit of progress from my side of the garage with the feeling of the car.

“Having the opportunity to come back to this track, only 100 days after we were here with last year’s car, has given me a much clearer picture of the type of corner and the two or three corners I’m still lacking with this car.

“It’s quite clear for me now. It has given me a great opportunity to understand fully the magnitude of how much I need to adapt and how much I need to get the car a bit more to my liking, and I felt like we did a small step in the right direction.

“While I’m still not 100% with the car, to keep bringing the points and the podiums is important until I get back to 100% – then it will be time to join the guys at the top for the fight.”

Red Bull wants to see Sainz battling Leclerc because, at home, Sergio Perez has been much closer to Verstappen than he was last season.

Despite taking his first F1 pole in Jeddah, the Mexican has had a very unlucky first two races meaning he only has 12 points to his name.

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

"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."

As a result, he admits there can be no thoughts of putting their full support behind Verstappen for the championship.

"It 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 stated.