An overheating right-rear brake for Max Verstappen, an issue that hobbled him from the start, forced his early retirement as Carlos Sainz led team-mate Charles Leclerc for a Ferrari 1-2.
McLaren split the strategies of its drivers. Lando Norris was faster late on so allowed to pass Oscar Piastri in a team orders switch at the latter’s home race, as they bagged a 3-4 result.
Sergio Perez finished fifth, gaining only one place in the race thanks to Verstappen’s woes.
Stella believes that even without the reigning champion’s troubles, the RB20s would not have enjoyed a tyre advantage in Melbourne - as the car had in the season-opening Bahrain GP.
At the end of a weekend during which tyre graining on both the front and rear left corner was a major factor, Stella said: “In Bahrain, Red Bull was the only car that comfortably used the soft tyres.
“But in Bahrain, you have no graining at all. No way that you are going to grain because you don't have enough grip to stress the tyres and strain the rubber to a point where the rubber generates graining.
“[Australia is a] completely different regime compared to Bahrain.
“But still, I would say, harnessing this matter from an engineering point of view and saying, 'Oh, it's very clear what we need to do on the car to be OK in Bahrain, and to be OK here' - that's not straightforward at all.
Source: Autosport