Leclerc: It’s important to avoid excessive expectations

After winning the Italian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc spoke about the events of the race, commenting on the tactical choice that allowed him to stay ahead of McLaren, but warning that emotions should not hinder preparation for the remaining stages of the season..

Q: Congratulations on your victory – the second in Monza and the seventh in your career! Tell us about your joyful experiences about it…
Charles Leclerc: They are no less happy than after the victory in 2019. I always thought that the taste of the first victory would be particularly sweet, but it turned out not to be so. The second victory brought the same indescribable experiences.

Before the start I didn’t expect to win the race, I thought we would have more problems than McLaren, because on Friday it looked like their cars could have an excellent pace. But after the first few laps I felt the car was working very well.

Maybe Oscar Piastri was a little bit faster – it was harder to judge Lando’s pace because he was behind me. When he was ahead of us because of an earlier pit stop, I thought: “Okay, we’re probably going to miss out on the win.” But when both McLaren drivers were back in the pits, the track was clear in front of me and I was able to get excellent grip on the front wheels.

I didn’t have much to lose when I decided to try the race with one pit stop. But we actually did a good job and managed to keep the left front tyre wear quite moderate, even though everyone was struggling.

The granulation of the front tyres was also strong for us, but after that we were able to get good grip again. This helped us win the race. When I stood on top of the podium after such an exhausting week and saw this whole sea of ​​fans, I felt an incredible joy. It is incredibly exciting to drive for Ferrari at Monza, but it also takes a lot of energy. And when you manage to win, you experience very special emotions.

Q: You chose the right tactics and implemented them perfectly. But how confident were you that you could cover the entire distance with just one pit stop? And if you were in the lead, would you still limit yourself to one pit stop?
Charles Leclerc: If you had asked me about this before the race, I would have said that I definitely want to do the distance with one pit stop. But I think after about ten laps we saw that Red Bull started to have problems with the left front tyre – and they decided to start on hard tyres.

And then we started to doubt the correctness of our tactics. We thought there would be more difficulties, because we thought it would be harder to reach the finish on hard tyres. But when I switched to them, I thought it was still possible. Especially after Oscar went to his pit stop two or three laps after me.

Because I was on a clear track and there were no other cars in front of me, I felt that my Ferrari had a better grip on the track, and especially the grip of the front wheels was good. That’s when I realized that we had a chance to implement the one-pit-stop tactic.

Q: You won in Monaco, now you won the race in Monza – how many more wins can you achieve before the end of the season thanks to the modernized car?
Charles Leclerc: We have to be careful with predictions. I think the four races after Monaco were our worst this season, and yet the very specific city circuit suited our car perfectly. Monza is also a very special circuit, there are long straights and not many corners. And also the rear wing specially designed for this circuit helped to win here.

There were other new features on the car that certainly helped us get closer to McLaren, but I don’t think they will be enough to beat all the competitors at the other circuits we will compete at this season.

I think we still have a lot of work to do, but I’m very happy that we won the race in Italy.

Q: The circuits in Monaco and Monza are very different – what is your secret of success? And if you are so lucky here at this circuit, which is called the “Temple of Speed”, would you perhaps like to compete in Indianapolis and Le Mans in the future?
Charles Leclerc: Yes, these numbers are very different, but winning is just as nice. Of course, winning in Monaco means a lot to me because I am Monegasque, and winning here in Monza means a lot because I am a Ferrari driver.

I would love to race at Le Mans one day, but I haven’t thought about Indianapolis yet. Still, I don’t rule out going there again. But the 24 Hours of Le Mans is definitely one of those races I would like to participate in one day. I don’t know when exactly, but let’s hope it’s soon.

Q: If Oscar hadn’t made his second pit stop and the race had gone differently, would you still have stayed on track to see who of you could handle the granulation problem better? Or would perhaps a two-pit stop tactic be preferable in this case to be able to put more pressure on McLaren and try to somehow act in its own way?
Charles Leclerc: Good question. To be honest, we would have waited another two or three laps to assess the situation. It seemed to me that two or maybe three laps before Oscar’s pit stop we were gradually closing in on him, although it would be better to check this again.

But I found it difficult to get close to him – mainly because of the left front tyre and the severe understeer that started as I approached Oscar’s McLaren.

So it’s possible that we decide to make a second pit stop and act more aggressively to catch up closer to the finish. I don’t know though. We certainly didn’t act like that.

Q: How are you going to recover for the stage in Baku after such a glorious victory? And on which circuits does Ferrari have the best chance to fight McLaren and Red Bull?
Charles Leclerc: I repeat that before this race I didn’t think at all that I could claim victories anywhere else than Monza. Maybe in Singapore. I don’t rule out that this urban highway also suits us. If we talk about the rest of the races, I still think we are one step behind McLaren and Red Bull.

However, today we have seen that if everything is done perfectly, we can perform at the same level as McLaren.

Q: Do you have any special superstitions that may have helped you win? Would you ask the team to keep this dark uniform in the future for the sake of new victories?
Charles Leclerc: No, I am not superstitious at all and never will be. In my opinion, it is harmful for athletes to be superstitious – it seems to me that this is becoming some kind of special condition that is starting to put a psychological strain on me.

By the way, if I were to ask the team to stock black uniforms for all the other races of the season, I’m not sure the tifosi would like that. So I have no superstitions. We won in Monaco when we were in the red. We won here when we were in the black. I don’t think the team plans to use any other colour than red for the remaining stages of the season. I hope it will bring us success, just like in Monaco.

Q: During each of the last ten laps the stands cheered for you, and this support was absolutely fantastic. What emotions did you feel during those last laps?
Charles Leclerc: Just like in 2019, I had a hard time focusing on the track in the very last laps, because of course I was also looking at the stands. I saw the fans stand up when I passed, which was really nice to see. But then my mother was sitting somewhere in the stands, because I couldn’t get her access to the paddock. It’s good that she had such a pass this year, and now she has the experience to watch the race from the stands and follow the events on the track from the paddock.

But of course these are very special experiences, because I understood that the audience was completely in the clouds. But I also understood that I still had to finish the job, because Oscar was riding an excellent pace, so I shouldn’t relax either. But then I saw that he wasn’t going fast enough to overtake me, and the only thing left was not to make any mistakes.

Q: How much will success in Monza help the team prepare for the remaining races of the season?
Charles Leclerc: Once we return to base in Maranello, it is very important to rebuild ourselves immediately and leave behind everything that happened this weekend. Now we have to analyze all the information received, but without any emotions, and prepare for the upcoming race in Baku. At the same time, we must try to avoid having too high expectations; our team cannot afford them yet.

I repeat: Monza is a very specific track. This weekend we performed well, but in Baku everything could be very different, and the weekend in Singapore will be different in some way. In general, we have to restart.

We hope that we will not have too many problems in the upcoming races. It is important to emphasize that not only the team should refrain from excessive expectations, but also the fans. Have we managed to take a step forward? Yes. Is this enough to win the remaining races until the end of the season? I don’t think so, although we have made significant progress in the right direction.