Monza motivation not enough for a Ferrari win, says Charles Leclerc

MONZA – This weekend’s Italian Grand Prix brings plenty of motivation for Ferrari to impress, but they are not quite ready for a home win, Charles Leclerc admitted on Aug 29.

The Monegasque was the last Ferrari driver to win at Monza, in 2019, and they are the most successful team in the history of the race. But he also does not feel they are under extra pressure to perform better than the other teams.

“I wouldn’t say the feeling is that we must do better. However, there’s definitely a huge motivation,” he said.

“It’s our home race and as much as it’s giving exactly the same amount of points as other races, emotionally speaking for the whole team it’s definitely a special one.”

The 26-year-old comes into Monza on the back of two third-place finishes, and while another place on the podium could be on the cards, he does not expect Ferrari to battle for first place.

“I don’t let the last two races change our expectations. We are in a difficult moment for the team. We are struggling a little bit with pace at the moment,” he explained.

“I think we understood quite a few things since Zandvoort, where our performance was quite far from ideal... hopefully we’ll be a bit more in the fight for the podium. However, for the win, I don’t think we quite have that yet.”

The Monza track has been completely resurfaced for the first time since 1922 and new kerbs have been installed, with RB driver Daniel Ricciardo saying the circuit has lost some character, but Leclerc will wait for at least all the practice sessions are completed before passing judgment.

“It’s difficult to judge, for now. You get to a point where you’ve got to renew the tarmac. On the kerbs, it’s true that some tracks have the historic kerbs,” he said.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who is heading into the Monza race for the last time with Mercedes before joining Ferrari next season, said that he does not know what to expect with the Italian fans preparing to welcome him.

“I’m not going to lie, it definitely does feel a little bit different,” he added. “I mean, it always feels special when you come here... The passion here and the excitement that they really bring to this race is really not particularly matched in too many places.

“I don’t know what to expect. Over the last few years, I’ve had a really warm welcome every time I’ve come.

“There was one time when we were really fighting against Ferrari but even then, people were positive. I’ve heard ‘viene in Ferrari’ (come to Ferrari) quite a lot.”
REUTERS