Perez said his struggles revolved around the rear of his Red Bull RB20.
Sainz will look to turn that record on its head in his final season with Ferrari.
Barcelona is fighting to keep its place on the calendar beyond its existing contract in 2026.
“The reason being Esteban was losing performance with the suspected PU issue and the team had confidence for Pierre to attack Ricciardo with DRS (and Ricciardo without DRS).
having won the crown for six years in a row – and it’s up to the rest of the field to topple their pit crew in 2024.