Success, however Charles Leclerc, continues to be a chimera. For the past two years the Monegasque has no longer been able to get on the top step of the podium. The last time it happened in Monza, in 2019, in a setting of celebration and enthusiasm that is difficult to describe and forget. That victory came just seven days after the first, which came in the bitter-sweet afternoon of Spa, at the end of a weekend that will remain forever linked to the disappearance of Anthoine Hubert. No one, in those days, would have imagined such a long abstinence to celebrate the trio. Yesterday, in Turkey, the young talent on which Ferrari is banking hard to return to the top, however, returned to finally savor the emotions of a fight for victory.
In a very balanced race, played for a long time on the edge of the lost and earned tenths with the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, Leclerc and the box of the redhead tried to fight for everything, risking the race without pit- stop. The plan to bring the intermediate tires the # 16 SF21 started with to the checkered flag, however, did not work. Leclerc was eventually forced to fit a set of new intermediates as he arrived fourth at the finish, after having occupied the virtual podium for 47 laps out of 58. Today, speaking to the microphones of Sky Sport 24, the Monegasque has shown all his bitterness.
“The disappointment for the missed podium is there – explained the native of the Principality – in such a difficult season, with many missed opportunities and a bit of bad luck, it would have done me good to get on the podium “. The awareness of having given everything for the maximum goal, however, mitigates the disappointment for theyet another shaded top-3 in this 2021. “Fighting for victory was a risk. I also knew that I would have risked losing third place – concluded Leclerc – but when I have a chance to win I always try to exploit it. At that point I was just thinking about winning. It didn’t happen, but we had a lot of adrenaline“.