It is a Ferrari that wins by doing everything necessary to bring home a triumph that Charles Leclerc has dreamed of for some time, since he was a child and saw the red car win from the balcony of one of the houses overlooking the track. After many unfortunate episodes, the spell was finally broken and the Monegasque driver was able to fulfill one of his dreams.
A strong emotion not only for Leclerc, but also for the team, because it comes at the end of a weekend in which the SF-24 proved to be competitive from the very beginning, even in FP1 where it had not achieved the first time only because he hadn’t mounted soft tires unlike his rivals. But from the first lap of the weekend, the Monegasque immediately felt at ease with the car, as his qualifying times also demonstrated, the decisive moment in which today’s victory was built.
“It’s a fantastic feeling, it was important for the team and for Charles. We are all aware of what the situation was, Charles had a lot of bad luck in Monaco. It was an important achievement for him too, it is important to tick this box too. Now let’s enjoy the evening and then we will focus on the next one”, explained Vasseur speaking after the race, underlining how important this success is not only for the home hero, who saw the embrace of an entire country, but also for the team, because a victory so long sought gives confidence to the whole environment.
Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, third place, celebrates with Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal and General Director of Scuderia Ferrari
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
The Ferrari Team Principal also underlined how Leclerc himself arrived with a different spirit than a year ago. Twelve months ago, the Red Car arrived in Monaco with a car that was often unpredictable and not easy to drive, not to mention the large gap to the Red Bull which made it difficult to achieve the feat.
On the contrary, this year Leclerc arrived in Monte Carlo more relaxed, probably also aware of the potential of the SF-24 and of a Ferrari that is growing compared to the past. “I think last year Charles was a bit stressed when we arrived in Monaco, while this year I saw him much more relaxed.
The Monegasque found himself at ease from the very first stages of the weekend, so much so that in FP2 he was able to make a gap on the medium tyres, taking a few more risks than the others already in the first sessions, when his rivals had instead taken more margin. Leclerc continued to build on those elements and those sensations, putting together at the decisive moment all the elements necessary to take pole: “From the first lap in FP1 he was at ease, he had excellent pace in all the sessions. Even when there were difficult moments, like in Q1 when he hit a plastic bag with his front wing, he remained calm and did a great job. He remained calm and kept the race under control from the first to the last lap. Honestly it was a perfect weekend.”
In the race, the red flag caused by the accident on the first lap between the two Haas and Sergio Perez changed the scenarios, because it canceled the need to make the pit stop, but also pushed the teams to cover the entire distance of the race on a single set of tires. For strategic reasons, Leclerc kept a very slow pace from the very beginning, trying to keep the group compact, so much so that he pushed him several times via radio to close if he could start pushing.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Ferrari always tried to contain him, at least until, a few laps from the end, the lapping phase broke up the group, giving Leclerc the opportunity to gain a couple of seconds on which he then continued to build by starting to push, until extend the lead to 8 seconds over Oscar Piastri.
“After the restart we knew it was more a question of maintaining control, without getting nervous and without pushing too hard. On a couple of occasions, Charles asked us if he could push, because it was difficult to control so much, but it was a beautiful race.”
“It was also a good race from Carlos, because we asked him to stay within a gap of 5 seconds from Piastri, but also to keep a pace with which he could keep Russell within a certain distance. He did a perfect job, it’s a great success for the team,” added Vasseur underlining the performance of Sainz, who had to keep the gaps under control for a long time to prevent Norris from stopping to fit a more high-performance tyre.
The success in Monaco also represents a nice breath of fresh air for the Cavallino, which can now look forward to the next events with greater confidence. However, the Red Team Principal wanted to underline how even before this victory the team was united and how there is a healthy environment that pushes in the same direction to continue progressing.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Erik Junius
“We can say that from the beginning of the weekend the dynamics within the team were positive. I think the whole group is pushing a lot and doing it in the right direction. We are certainly not world champions, so we need to remain calm, but the direction we are going is the right one. This is a huge motivation for the whole team, on the track and in the factory.”
“When the dynamics are positive, this applies to all members of the team. Everyone is rowing in the same direction, a positive direction. I’m happy for everyone, because we’ve pushed so hard in the last year. It’s not just my job, because the whole team is very motivated. All the guys under the podium were crying, it’s a special emotion for everyone.”
In two weeks, Formula 1 will return to action on the track in Canada, a track that is in some ways very different from that of Monaco, given that in Montreal it is made up of chicanes, but also of long straights and large braking points, so much so that there is a tendency to use low load packages, as opposed to those fitted to the cars in Monaco. However, even in Canada it is essential to be able to manage the heights from the ground due to the dips in the terrain, as well as having a car that is able to exploit the curbs well.
“The success in Monaco gives confidence to everyone in the team, but it is true that there are similarities with Monte Carlo, even if it is a track where high speeds are achieved with a low downforce package. But, overall, we are going in the right direction. I think now the top three teams are all within a tenth in every single qualifying,” added Vasseur.
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