Ferrari development driver Marc Gene says he has reason to believe that Renault will be more of a force come the opening round of the
Formula One world championship than its testing performances suggest.
Speaking to Spanish daily
Marca, Gene claimed that the Enstone-based team may be keeping its powder dry in the group tests in order to disguise its true potential ahead of next month's season-opener in Melbourne.
Renault, led by returning world champion
Fernando Alonso, has been around a second off the pace in the sessions held to date in Barcelona and
Jerez, but Gene reckons that the real margin could be far less than that, adding to similar claims made by rival teams that the
regie could be 'sandbagging'.
"Although they have not been the quickest in testing, they have known since April that their car was not working well enough, and they started working on the 2008 car right then," the Spaniard insisted, "It is possible that we are looking at a wolf in sheep's clothing and that Fernando will be at the front again."
Should Gene and the others be right - and there have been sources that claim Renault is secretly working on a trick rear wing that could give it a major performance boost - Renault and Alonso could vault into contention for success in Australia along with Ferrari and
McLaren, which have generally set the pace in testing. Although
Red Bull Racing has also taken its turn at the top of the timesheets, Gene reckons that the Scuderia should be out front.
"After winning the title [with Kimi Raikkonen] last year, the feeling is very good," he said of the team's morale, "There was a certain fear after
Michael Schumacher and Ross Brown left, but we are all very relaxed because we took that title and I believe that that means there will be less pressure this year. I think that we are going to have a good car, but we will have to see what the others will be doing."
