Charles Leclerc warns ahead of Ferrari’s home race: “That’s our weak spot”

The pressure weighing on the shoulders of Ferrari’s Formula 1 drivers is always immense. At Monza, however, it is even greater, as the track is lined with an especially large number of Tifosi for the Scuderia’s home race in the Royal Park. Charles Leclerc, who is contesting his eighth season with the Maranello-based team, is well aware of this.

The start of the weekend was promising. He set the pace in the first free practice session, clocking a best time of 1:23.008 minutes after completing 29 laps of the Autódromo Nazionale di Monza. In the second practice session, he had to settle for second place, as his personal best of 1:22.679 was 0.120 seconds slower than the day’s fastest time set by George Russell.

Track offers overtaking opportunities

Leclerc explains: “On a track like this, overtaking is certainly a major factor; we’ll probably see some yo-yo racing too, so we need to be prepared for that. But it’s a circuit where I expect there to be overtaking opportunities. That’s why we can afford to compromise a little in qualifying here in order to have a greater advantage in the race.”

However, the 28-year-old also warns: “Nevertheless, it’s our job to make the car faster, and that benefits us in both qualifying and the race. And we’re expecting a slightly tougher time here, as this circuit has a lot of straights, and our speed on the straights isn’t outstanding compared to the competition. That’s our weak point.”

A look back at the recent past offers cause for hope: “I remain optimistic, because on paper, Spa and Silverstone weren’t the best venues for us either, and we had good race weekends there because we were able to execute everything perfectly. That must be the aim here too, and we’re lining up with a new engine and new parts. Hopefully, that will help us put a bit more pressure on our rivals.”

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