Charles Leclerc’s one-stop strategy clinched a dramatic victory at Monza, showcasing his skill and Ferrari’s tactical brilliance.
For the second time in his Formula 1 career, Charles Leclerc triumphed at Monza in a Ferrari, delighting the throngs of tifosi at the Grand Prix.
His victory came not only from his F1’s strong performance but also from a bold one-stop strategy. The Monégasque driver was as elated as he was five years ago.
“It’s just as wonderful a feeling as it was in 2019. I thought the first win would always be more special if there was a second, but that’s not the case. The second is just as special. I didn’t expect this before the race. I thought we might struggle a bit compared to McLaren, and also against Mercedes, which seemed to have a very good pace on Friday. However, after a few laps, I saw and felt that the car was well-positioned. Oscar might have been a bit quicker. It was hard to gauge Lando’s pace because he was behind.”
“Once we started to lose ground, I thought we might be losing the victory. But after both McLaren drivers pitted, I actually gained quite a bit of front grip, having clean air in front of me. And I didn’t have much to lose by trying to make a single stop. But we did a great job with the left front, which was very, very tricky for everyone. We had a lot of graining at the front, but we managed to get the grip back. That’s what allowed us to win. Standing on the podium in front of all the tifosi after such a tiring week… It’s an incredible feeling to race for Ferrari at Monza, but it’s also very exhausting. And winning here is extremely special.”
“Before the race, if you had asked me, making a single stop was clearly what I wanted to do. After ten laps, I think we saw that Red Bull was starting to struggle with the left front on the hard tire. And that’s when we started to doubt the one-stop strategy. We thought it would be much harder because we thought the hard tire would be tougher to last until the end. However, as soon as I put it on, I kept thinking it was a possibility. And especially when Oscar pitted two or three laps after. I felt that I had more grip without a car in front, especially on the front tires, and that’s when I really thought we could make this strategy work.”
If Piastri had also opted for just one stop, Leclerc admits he’s unsure if he would have stayed out, considering the increased graining from following another car.
“To be honest, I think we might have waited another lap or two to see. I felt that in the two or three laps before Oscar pitted, we were starting to catch up a bit, but I still need to check. But it was hard for me to get closer, especially because of the left front and the understeer I had behind Oscar… I had a bit too much understeer. Maybe we should have gone for a second stop and been a bit more aggressive to try to catch up towards the end. But I don’t know. We didn’t do it anyway.”
At the end of the Grand Prix, Leclerc saw Piastri, equipped with much fresher tires, closing in fast, but the Monégasque ultimately held on.
“The only thing I was really focusing on was the condition of the left front tire. I could see there was a bit of graining, and I really didn’t want it to get worse. Otherwise, I knew that would be what would cost me the race. In fact, from the moment I put the hard tire on the car, that was my only concern. I knew it was crucial to take care of the tire. And we did a great job. Again, as soon as I had clean air, I could slightly change the balance of the car and put more pressure on the rear tires, which was exactly what I wanted to do. And as soon as the balance changed, I felt the pace was coming back.”
Does this success herald more wins for Ferrari in 2024?
The upgrades brought by Ferrari this weekend seem to have paid off, but Leclerc is cautious about the rest of the season.
“We have to be careful. After Monaco, I think we had the four worst races of the season, because Monaco was so specific to our car at that time. Monza is also a very specific and peculiar circuit. Lots of straights, few corners. We also had a rear wing for this circuit, which helped us to win. We had another upgrade too, which I think definitely brought us closer to McLaren, but I don’t think it’s enough to be the car to beat for the rest of the season on other circuits. I think we still have a lot of work to do, but I’m really happy to have won here in Italy.”
“We had a very good top speed, which is very useful on a circuit like this. I guess that’s what helped us. Honestly, I haven’t checked everyone’s rear wing to see if everyone brought something special here. But yes, it definitely helped us win because the characteristics were good and the car’s balance was also very good with this wing. Overall, we didn’t change much on the car since the first free practice session. The car performed well. In qualifying, we struggled a bit with the tires, but in the race, we were really well placed. So yes, the entire package was strong this weekend.”
Despite this superb success, Leclerc thinks it will be difficult for Ferrari to win other races this season, though it’s far from impossible.
“Again, before this race, I don’t think I saw myself competing for victories elsewhere. Maybe Singapore. Singapore could be a good circuit for us. On other circuits, I still feel like we are a bit behind compared to McLaren and Red Bull. But this time, we saw that we could match McLaren if we did everything perfectly. Again, I think the update helped us to have the same pace as them. However, for other circuits, I don’t know if it will be enough to completely close the gap, especially the gap we saw in the previous races, not here. So, yes, we have to wait and see, but we have made some steps forward. I think we need a few more.”
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Leclerc’s Bold One-Stop Wins Ferrari Glory at Monza Leclerc’s Bold One-Stop Wins Ferrari Glory at Monza. f1 2024 Leclerc’s Bold One-Stop Wins Ferrari Glory at Monza
