Bahrain F1 Test Pacesetter Pierre Gasly Remains Cautious of AlphaTauri Performance – “It Will Only Matter in Qualifying Next Week”

Pierre Gasly has improved his race craft tremendously, ever since he was moved from Red Bull to AlphaTauri mid-season. He has set the fastest lap of the very first day of Bahrain testing. Now, Gasly and AlphaTauri will look to carry their strong start into the season. The French driver gave his thoughts on the positive start to the testing in Bahrain.

Gasly Feels There is Room for Improvement

Pierre Gasly topped the timesheets on the first day of the testing, much to the surprise of everyone. AlphaTauri will be pleased with the testing session, and would have gathered enough data.

AlphaTauri has focused on different parts of their car during the session. However, in the afternoon, they tested the car’s pure performance with soft tires. As a result, it was Gasly who came out on top, much to their satisfaction.

Speaking to the press after the session, Gasly was more than pleased. “It’s great to be first in line.” he said.

“But in testing we are constantly asked how we are doing and I think we need to focus entirely on ourselves and our performance, not on the time screens because the results are meaningless right now. It will only matter in qualifying next week.” Gasly added.

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The French driver also feels that there is more to do ahead of the race in Bahrain. In addition, he feels the car is in good shape, and the testing will help to understand the pace of the car. As for day two, Yuki Tsunoda will take the wheel at the testing session in Bahrain, and will hope for a good session as well. Meanwhile, Gasly revealed he will sit in with the engineers tomorrow and help them with inputs.

Mercedes Grabs Attention on Day One

While Pierre Gasly ended the day on the top of the timesheet, Mercedes’ new design also took the centre stage. The Silver Arrows shifted the design of the car from the one they tested at Barcelona. The car now virtually has no sidepods. Rumors also suggest that the pace of the car is impressive on the simulator and has gained over a second per lap.

The eyes of the rest of the grid were also on the Silver Arrows, as questions loomed on whether they will appeal against Mercedes. However, Red Bull Boss Horner has decided to wait on the situation. The British Team Principal said, “It’s a fairly different concept. That’s for the aero guys and engineers to get into. Let the guys understand it and digest it…”

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Mercedes took the limelight, but Pierre Gasly stole the show on the first day of Bahrain testing. The Frenchman finished 9th in the driver’s standings last year and will look to build on last season’s performance. Can the Frenchman deliver big this season? Let us know your predictions in the comments below.