Mercedes driver Sir Lewis Hamilton has said he will be keeping an eye on Pierre Gasly at this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, as he is expecting the Frenchman and Scuderia AlphaTauri to be very strong at Imola.
Gasly was fifth fastest in Free Practice One (FP1), and managed a lap time good enough for P3 in the afternoon Friday session.
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Commenting on the Italian team’s pace, Hamilton said their 2021 car looks “incredibly fast” and he is expecting something special from Gasly at Imola.
“AlphaTauri, I think they’ve done an amazing job, they’re looking incredibly fast,” Hamilton said on Friday.
“It’s really great that Pierre has a good car underneath him and I’m excited to see him up there.”
Gasly, for his part, said he believes there is more pace to be found in qualifying and stressed that they aren’t expecting to challenge Mercedes.
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“We’ve got to stay quite calm and focused on our targets,” Gasly said.
“Mercedes have a lot faster car than we have. We know they have margin.
“I think we’re just focusing on ourselves and trying to understand how to improve our car, improve our pace compared to our main rivals, which I guess is Ferrari, McLaren and probably Alpine as well.
“So far it’s been a good Friday, but I think we can find a bit more in quali,” he added.
Earlier this week, British F1 journalist Tom Clarkson said he believes Gasly could score a podium at Imola if he brings his A-game.
“I think Pierre Gasly’s going to be on the podium. Perhaps Verstappen P1, Hamilton P2, Gasly P3,” Clarkson said.
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