Ferrari, Charles Leclerc believes in miracle encore at Monza

Here are the words of Ferrari’s Monegasque Charles Leclerc, who is firmly to grant a resounding encore in Monza after his unexpected triumph in last year’s Italian Grand Prix.

“I remember well how I felt a year ago and if I forget how Sunday went I think the feeling was very similar. There was the knowledge that it was going to be a very difficult weekend, against McLarens that have a higher gear. But now I know how that Sunday turned out: we managed to do something we didn’t think was possible, so this year we at least have the knowledge that you can still win, even though on paper we are in a disadvantageous position. So I’m looking forward to putting the car on the track and seeing where we are compared to them.”

“Realistically there is no track where we think we are stronger than McLaren but there are the tracks where we will be closer. I hope for example in qualifying in Baku, which has always been one of my favorite tracks. Monza was another one of the races where we had surprises some times. Then there can be Singapore and Las Vegas: Las Vegas is so special that sometimes something can come up that we don’t expect. In Singapore, on the other hand, qualifying matters a lot.”

“Knowing that you can’t beat them, except in special circumstances, is frustrating, unfortunately I’ve had this feeling for a while, because I haven’t yet had the opportunity to have a car, apart from maybe the beginning of 2022, that can regularly battle for wins. That doesn’t change my motivation, though. In fact, maybe this anger turns it into motivation, because you want to do something more and that on paper doesn’t seem very realistic. But if you succeed, as we did here last year, the joy is even greater.”