Charles Leclerc needed the Italian GP win to solidify his place at Ferrari before Lewis Hamilton’s arrival
Charles Leclerc's incredible drive in Monza leaves Ferrari with no reason to sideline the 26-year-old in favor of Lewis Hamilton next year.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)
Charles Leclerc will get a new teammate at Ferrari next season as Lewis Hamilton joins Maranello in place of Carlos Sainz. The seven-time world champion is the most successful driver in F1 history and as such, Fred Vasseur was quick to finalize a deal with Hamilton for 2025. However, there were concerns that Leclerc could be sidelined by Hamilton’s arrival.
The Monegasque driver has raced for Ferrari since 2019 but has failed to achieve the desired level of success. Charles Leclerc‘s failed title bid in 2022 did not make matters better for Maranello. Leclerc even got outperformed by Carlos Sainz on a few occasions last season.
However, Charles Leclerc managed to take a surprise victory in front of the Tifosi at Monza, the most important race win for the Scuderia. Leclerc’s win comes at a time when he needed to reprove his worth to the Prancing Horse.
Charles Leclerc proves himself as a worthy contender in F1 again
Leclerc has often made mistakes while battling for wins in the past. The Monegasque driver has not always had the best luck in many situations. As such, it would’ve been no surprise if Ferrari shifted focus completely to Lewis Hamilton in 2025 as the team had no reason left to back Charles Leclerc.
However, the 26-year-old’s Italian GP changes this. Charles Leclerc did not seem to be in contention for the win at the start of the race. The Monegasque driver was furious after Ferrari’s strategy call made him lose a place to Lando Norris.
Nevertheless, Leclerc managed to keep his act together with a bold one-stop strategy. This allowed the 26-year-old to jump the two McLarens who were on an alternate strategy. Moreover, Charles Leclerc managed to keep Oscar Piastri behind till the end on the race despite having much older tires.
As such, Charles Leclerc demonstrated that he still is capable of fighting at the front without cracking under pressure. This shock Monza victory was a delight for the Tifosi. Moreover, Ferrari now cannot sideline Leclerc in favor of Hamilton as the Monegasque driver has proved that he is in his prime.
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Armaan Agarwal
(1984 Articles Published)