Are Ferrari Hiding their True F1 Pace?: “I Discussed it With Leclerc” Reveals Gasly

AlphaTauri was a surprising 2nd-fastest during this year’s pre-season testing, while Ferrari reportedly came in at third. Carlos Sainz in his SF21 was just 0.55s behind Yuki Tsunoda’s AT02.

Following the pre-season testing, Pierre Gasly reached out to Charles Leclerc, his good friend, to learn where the Maranello team actually stands.

A former Ferrari test driver, Marc Gene made claims stating that the team will have a decent power unit this season. The Frenchman believes the Maranello-based outfit may have been sandbagging through the weekend.

“I think Ferrari are kind of hiding and not showing too much. Compared to last year, I think they are clearly better. I discussed it with Leclerc after the test and we exchanged a couple of messages, talking but not too much, just trying to [laughing] have an idea!

“I think we are close to each other. I don’t know if they are ahead of us or if we are slightly ahead. But they have clearly made a step forward,” he further added.

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Pierre Gasly believes McLaren could be a strong opponent

McLaren reignited their partnership with Mercedes this season. They also signed Daniel Ricciardo to help them reclaim their P3 finish and close gaps with the leaders.

They caught everyone’s attending during testing, and Gasly believes the Woking-based outfit will pose a tough challenge.

“I think McLaren seem to be a very strong opponent and competitor at the moment, especially with a Mercedes engine. They seem to have managed to put a strong package together,” said the AlphaTauri driver.

Pierre Gasly had admitted that his car feels much better than last season. His new teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, also impressed everyone as he battled Red Bull closely on the timesheets.

Do you think AlphaTauri will also impress once the season kicks off? Do you think Ferrari and Mercedes were holding back during testing? Let us know!