By: The eve of Ferrari’s home race is always a very special, unique occasion.
The Italian Grand Prix at Monza evokes indescribable emotions for all the fans and drivers who have celebrated and raced under the banner of the Prancing Horse over the years.
The Ferrari driver to have most recently given the fans a taste of home victory is Charles Leclerc, who has won twice, in 2018 and 2024. Both victories have entered the history of the Prancing Horse in their own way, as genuine feats.
Ferrari contract renewal
It is no surprise that his comments, made in a recent interview published by formulapassion.it on the eve of the Monza race, carry particular significance, especially in light of the difficulties faced by the Monegasque talent in the first part of the season. Those struggles, however, did not prevent him from renewing his working and loving relationship with the Prancing Horse.
On his renewal, Leclerc said:
“I decided to stay here because, after having had many conversations not only with Ferrari, this was the project that excited me the most. Winning here is my dream, but the decision was not based solely on my love for Ferrari. I wanted to make the most of the opportunities available to make the right decision, the one that gave me the highest probability of becoming world champion, and I firmly believe that Ferrari is the team to do it”.
Difficulties with the current cars
The number 16 driver did not deny the difficulties he experienced at the start of the season, nor the negative feelings that period inevitably brought with it. However, he gave the impression that he has fully understood and overcome the source of his issues with these words:
“These cars are very unusual. I think this is a Formula 1 we have never seen before. Some things related to the electric motor require a driving style focused on efficiency, which is somewhat the opposite of what we learned in the junior categories, where the earlier you put your foot on the accelerator, the faster you went and the better it was for lap time. Because of this, I have to reprogramme my mind, because I am particularly aggressive behind the wheel. I am probably not yet as comfortable as I was with the cars used until last year, and it is something I am continuing to work on, even though it is much better”.
Leclerc has set fans’ hearts racing above all through his ability to produce incredible qualifying laps, often allowing him to snatch unexpected and thrilling pole positions.
Unfortunately, that trait appears to have disappeared, and the Ferrari standard-bearer explained the reasons clearly, saying:
“With these cars, consistency pays off much more because the software knows what to expect and optimises the delivery of electric power based on what you are going to do. Every time you do something unexpected, especially in Q3, the energy management is recalculated, but it is not optimised over the entire lap. It is difficult to explain, but overall, being consistent pays off more than being brave and more than trying something in Q3 that nobody has ever done before”.
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