Leclerc's Monza triumph: just as sweet the second time
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
MONZA, Italy - Charles Leclerc never imagined he could replicate the raw emotions of his first Ferrari win at the Italian Grand Prix in 2019. But on Sunday, he found himself awash with identical feelings of euphoria as he clinched another victory at Monza.
Leclerc and Ferrari executed a masterful race strategy to fend off the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, making a resounding statement at their home Grand Prix. This marks Ferrari's first home win since Leclerc's unforgettable triumph four years ago.
"It's an incredible feeling," Leclerc shared immediately after the race. "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 grandstand inside of the track. which is tricky but yeah, incredible! I mean Monaco and Monza are the two races that 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. So, it's so, so special."
Leclerc's victory hinged on a bold one-stop strategy, contrasting with McLaren's two-stop approach. This required Leclerc to nurse his second set of tyres to the finish line. As Piastri and Norris aggressively pursued him in the closing laps, the fervor from the crowd intensified, filling the air with electric energy each time Leclerc roared down the start-finish straight.
Leclerc admitted it was a challenge to maintain his focus.
"Just like in 2019, the last three, four, five laps it was quite difficult to keep the eyes on the track and I was obviously looking a little bit in the grandstand, I could see everybody was standing up and that was really nice to see. In 2019 I remember there was my mum also in the grandstand because I didn't manage to have a paddock pass for her.
"This year, she actually had a paddock pass, so it's good. She could watch and experience both things, once in the grandstand and once in the paddock. But yeah, it's a very special feeling. I could also see some red smoke at one point. So I knew everybody was super excited, but I also knew that I had to finish the job and that I had to stay on it because Oscar had a really good pace.
"But yeah, in the last five, six laps, I felt like we had it. The tyres felt good and I could see that Oscar was not that fast to catch me before the end of the race if I was not doing any mistakes."
Leclerc's performance at Monza not only rekindled memories of his previous win but also solidified his status as a home-crowd favorite. As Ferrari continues to strive for further victories and a championship title, this win stands as a monumental milestone in their 2023 campaign.
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