Despite suspicions of fuel loads and sandbagging in pre-testing, Ferrari fell well short of the benchmark time in the season-opening qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix.
But even though the best-placed Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was almost seven-tenths down on Lando Norris’ pole position time, Andrea Stella is still taking Ferrari’s performance with a pinch, if not a bucket, of salt.
Are Ferrari sandbagging?
Ferrari came away from pre-season testing with all the data crunchers saying they were at best the second-fastest team, if not even P4.
However, Norris, whose MCL39 was declared to be the car to beat, scoffed at this when he hinted that he knew about Ferrari’s programme over the three days.
“I know how much fuel and stuff Ferrari had for a lot of the testing. You’d be surprised at how quick they’re going to be this weekend,” he said in the build-up to the Australian Grand Prix.
Ferrari though were anything but quick in qualifying at the Melbourne circuit.
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Despite a brief challenge for the top spots in Q3, when all was said and done, Leclerc was down in seventh place, 0.659s slower than Norris, with Lewis Hamilton a further two-tenths of a second back. The Ferrari team-mates will line up on the fourth row of the Albert Park grid.
But while McLaren team principal accepts qualifying in Melbourne was the most accurate assessment to date of F1’s pecking order, he does not believe Ferrari showed their true pace on Saturday.
“I think this is the most factual assessment so far in terms of pecking order,” he told Sky F1.
“But I think some teams like… I don’t really take Ferrari’s performance today at face value. I think they are much closer than the gaps in Q3 would tell.
“The qualifying today has shown that Red Bull are not far, Verstappen has put together strong laps, Russell.
“We don’t have to under-evaluate that the car is certainly competitive but Oscar and Lando have done a very good job with some stress in Q3, but a very good job of maximising what was available.”
“But,” he added, “it’s only Saturday.”
Stella though isn’t alone in questioning Ferrari’s pace, or lack thereof, as Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff also expected better.
Stating that McLaren are “two-tenths” up, Wolff continued: “In the front you see how close it is between Verstappen and the two Ferraris, that were not quick this time around but they are definitely there.
“It could be, you know, six cars that will put up a good fight.”
Quizzed on whether he believes Ferrari are in terms of race pace, he replied: “I think race pace we’re all the same, apart maybe from the McLaren that went a tiny bit further up. But yeah, I don’t think that this result is where they really are.”
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