F1 | Ferrari: a superlative Leclerc for a courageous choice

Fred Vasseur took a break. “Perhaps the most rewarding weekend for a team principal is the one you end with a one-two after taking pole position and leading the race without problems. However… however, today there was an incredible emotional component. It is, without a doubt, one of those days destined to be remembered”. Emotion is the right word, the Scuderia team principal seems almost shaken by what he experienced, then he regains control but gives up sitting down. The press conference will always see him standing.

Beyond all the technical evaluations (and there are many) the fifty-three laps of the Italian Grand Prix were highly emotional, with a finale that kept the entire Scuderia box (and a good part of the public present on the track) with bated breath. A perfect script for strong hearts in the perfect setting in front of which to write stories to remember.

At Ferrari they believed in it a bit, a chance linked above all to the unknown ‘tyres’, a real question mark on the eve of the race. New asphalt, few long-runs, an evolving track and high temperatures, all variables that the teams had to foresee in perspective when (Saturday before qualifying) they deliberated the setups of the single-seaters.

None of the big names had tried the hard tyres, the compound designed to cover the longest distance in the race. This unknown had a big impact on the strategists’ predictions: one or two stops? A rarity in Monza (usually raced with just one tyre change) but in the absence of references, the race with two pit stops was in the strategies envisaged by all the teams.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Leclerc’s race started off in the best possible way. Charles gained a position on Russell at the first chicane and Norris at the Roggia, moving into second place. He stayed in the slipstream of leader Piastri for ten laps, then began to lose ground, also suffering an undercut by Norris on the fifteenth lap. “Before the race I was convinced of the single stop,” Leclerc admitted, “but after ten laps we saw that the Red Bull, which was on hard tyres, began to struggle with the front left. We began to doubt the single stop, then when I found myself in the lead after Piastri’s pit I saw that in free air I had more grip, especially on the front. It was at that moment that I thought I could do it.”

Ferrari did not let itself be conditioned by the risk of an incorrect assessment. There was a lot of uncertainty, but as already seen on other occasions during the season, the Scuderia’s pit wall went straight on its way, and with both cars. With fifteen laps to go, it became clear that McLaren, after the second stop, suddenly found itself in the role of pursuer and Ferrari (focusing on the single stop) in hare mode. A new chase race began, a very fast countdown for the ‘Papaya’ pit wall and incredibly slow for the men in red uniforms, including the one hundred thousand from Monza (335 thousand in the record weekend).

Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

The only variable the Scuderia could rely on at this stage was Leclerc, and Charles responded exceptionally. He had been the first to switch to the hards (lap 15, four turns before Sainz) and yet lap after lap Leclerc managed to keep his head down and keep the clock in check. Constant pace, zero mistakes, with the shadow of Piastri growing ever larger in the mirrors and the awareness that a lock-up under braking would have been enough to make everything vanish. Charles (in bogeyman version) drove like a leader, an all-round performance that confirms him for what he is, a talent who has grown a lot over the years and who is waiting for the world championship chance to have his say.

In some ways Leclerc enjoyed Monza 2024 more than he did in 2019. Five years ago he was in a very fast film, which in the space of a few months had catapulted him into the powerful spotlight that surrounds the top drivers of Formula 1, from a gamble (for some a risky one) to a red rookie capable of leaving Sebastian Vettel behind him.

After that season he also tasted the hard side of this sport, disappointing years, a routine in which promises of glory were almost never followed by a present worthy of it. A path that made Charles more solid and less romantic. “We have to be cautious – he underlined – after Monaco we had our four worst races of the season, Monte Carlo is a very particular track and Monza is also a very specific track, many straights and few corners. Here we also had a rear wing designed for this track that helped us win, but I don’t think it’s enough to be the car to beat for the rest of the season, on other tracks I think we’ll still have some work to do. But in any case, now I’m very happy to have won here, in Monza”.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, celebrates victory on the lap of honor by waving to the fans of the red car

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Better to enjoy the present, when this is special, and today we must allow Leclerc and Ferrari to celebrate a victory that is the result of important technical work combined with impeccable race management. What is emerging this season is a Ferrari capable of capitalizing on what the single-seater is capable of giving, an attitude that last year was one of the critical issues most complained about by Vasseur. When the celebrations end and the preparation work for the trip to Baku begins in Maranello, everyone will realize that in the Constructors’ standings the gap from Red Bull is only 39 points.

It is a truly open game, as long as Leclerc’s (justified) fears are not confirmed. Ferrari has been special on special tracks, now the pace needs to improve on ordinary tracks too, which to tell the truth there won’t be until Austin. Baku and Singapore are still stages with special characteristics, but the points awarded will be heavy. If the game is still open on Sunday evening in Marina Bay, then a little thought of the championship could take concrete shape.