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Leclerc gets upgrade as Ferrari looks to end Mercedes鈥 control
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Charles Leclerc will be propelled by an upgraded Ferrari power unit and his own raw emotions, this weekend when he bids to claim a second career victory at the Italian Grand Prix.
The 21-year-old Monegasque鈥檚 maiden Formula One triumph was shrouded in tragedy at last weekend鈥檚 Belgian Grand Prix following the death of his close friend Anthoine Hubert.
For Leclerc and his team-mate, four-time champion German Sebastian Vettel, the race in the old royal park at Monza offers another opportunity to show their cars鈥 superior power and straight-line speed against champions Mercedes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 time for our home Grand Prix and there can be no better way to come to Monza than as the winner of the last round in Spa-Francorchamps,鈥 said Binotto. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great thank you to our fans who have given us so much support during what has been a far from easy season so far.
鈥淢onza is a track where we run at very high average speeds, featuring long straights and heavy braking, running a low down-force package, and, this weekend, we plan to introduce our third (upgraded) power unit.鈥
After a season so far in which Ferrari have won only once in 13 outings, with Mercedes triumphing 10 times and Red Bull twice, Binotto knows his team must deliver a near-flawless performance again to resist the overall excellence and race pace of Mercedes鈥 defending five-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
鈥淲e saw in Belgium that, in order to win, we must do everything to perfection and our aim is to do exactly that in Monza too,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here will be no room for error. Our home race is always important, but that is especially true this time as we are celebrating 90 years of Scuderia Ferrari.
鈥淩acing in front of our home fans is always an extra boost and further motivation to do well. Apart from anything else, there is no podium quite like Monza and we think there is no better crowd than the Italian one.鈥
Last year鈥檚 race ended with the 鈥榯ifosi鈥 booing loudly when the victorious Hamilton stood atop the podium, having won after Ferrari had locked out the front row of the grid following Kimi Raikkonen鈥檚 all-time fastest qualifying lap.
The Briton鈥檚 brilliant victory drew him level with Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher鈥檚 record five Monza victories and was a fifth successive Italian triumph for Mercedes.
鈥淢onza is going to be a happy weekend for Ferrari, most likely, because it is all straights and they are so fast,鈥 Hamilton said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to make drastic improvements to our straight speed, somehow. I don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 possible, but if anyone can do it, it鈥檚 our team.鈥
Going into the 90th Italian Grand Prix, Hamilton has a 65-point lead over his re-signed Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the drivers鈥 championship. His old rival Vettel may be an unlikely title contender, but after a year without a win since the 2018 Belgian race, he may find a return to the scene of his own maiden victory 鈥 for Toro Rosso in 2008 鈥 motivates him to re-boot his flagging season. Beyond the leading teams, Red Bull may struggle on the power-hungry track particularly as Max Verstappen is set to start from the back of the grid along with Toro Rosso鈥檚 Pierre Gasly, both men having taken new Honda engines for the event.
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