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Charles Leclerc was overcome with emotion after claiming victory in Monza, as he described the win at Ferrari’s home as “an incredible feeling.”
After qualifying for the race yesterday in P4, Leclerc knew that it would be an uphill task to get past both McLaren’s who lined up on the front row of the grid.
However, with most teams opting for a two-stop strategy, Leclerc and Ferrari would go bold by sticking to the one stop.
With Oscar Piastri pushing The 26-year-old all the way in the later stages of the race, Leclerc managed his hard tyres brilliantly as he came across the line to take victory at the Italian Grand Prix.
The victory was met with huge celebrations by the thousands of Tifosi in attendance and all of the Ferrari team. This is the first win for the Scuderia at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza since 2019, in which Leclerc secured his first victory in Italy.
The first time was so nice, Leclerc had to do it twice
Speaking to formula1.com and the media after the race, Leclerc was overcome with emotion as he described winning in Monza for the second time in his career just as sweet as the first time.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Leclerc said. “Actually I thought that the first time would just feel like this, and then the second time – if there was a second time – wouldn’t feel as special, but my god, the emotions in the last few laps, exactly the same like in 2019.”
“Just watching the grandstands inside of the track – which is tricky! – but incredible,” added Leclerc, who earlier this year won his home race in Monte Carlo for the first time.”
“I mean Monaco and Monza are the two races I want to win every year. Obviously I want to win as many races as possible, and the World Championship as soon as possible, but these are the two most important races of the season and I managed to win them this year. It’s so, so special.”
Ferrari upgrades made a huge difference
Coming into the weekend, Ferrari had brought specific upgrades to help them challenge for the win at their home race.
These upgrades clearly paid off however, Leclerc still remains unsure to whether this result can help Ferrari maintain consistency in fighting for victories for the rest of the season.
“I don’t know,” said Leclerc, when asked if the upgrade had made the difference, “because I think our package was working pretty well on a track like Monza. Whether it will be the same for the rest of the season, I doubt so.”
“I still think McLaren are the favourites, but we have done a step forward that’s for sure. Baku is a pretty nice track for me, I quite like this track and I’ve been quite competitive in the past so who knows? Maybe we can achieve something special again there.”
Feature Image Credit: (Clive Rose/Getty Images)