“I think we can have a good Sunday”: Charles Leclerc believes he can win the Italian GP after ‘unexpected’ pole position
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While the grid for the Italian GP tomorrow hasn’t been confirmed yet, one thing is certain: Charles Leclerc will start in pole position, for the 8th time this season, and for the second time at Monza. There is some doubt over what Max Verstappen’s grid slot will be (P4 or P7, most likely), but that will play a crucial part in the race.
When Verstappen took a penalty in Belgium (as did Leclerc) it didn’t inhibit him as much as the competitors had hoped, as the Dutchman was already in the lead by lap 12. It’s imperative for Leclerc to get a good start and pull a gap as early as possible, to not have Verstappen breathing down his neck, or just overtake him.
One good thing has certainly happened: Leclerc took the pole position without a tow when Ferrari had widely been expected to utilize one. In the last few races, Ferrari’s race pace has been rather disappointing, and the Monegasque will hope that will change, but he even admitted that taking pole position here was a surprise.
Also Read: ‘THE CHOSEN ONE’: F1 Twitter goes wild as Charles Leclerc takes POLE in Ferrari’s backyard
Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari have race-winning pace
As per Motorsport, Charles Leclerc admitted that taking pole position in Monza was a ‘good’ surprise. In Belgium, Ferrari had nowhere been near Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s pace, and they were even rather dismal in Zandvoort, being behind the Mercedes in pace for two, maybe three straight weekends. Monza, on paper, suits the RB18, but we may be in for a few surprises.
Leclerc said that he didn’t expect to fight for pole position here: “It’s a very good surprise today, especially where we came from in Spa. I did not expect to fight for pole here, so it’s a great surprise to have pole at home. In FP1 and FP2 we tested a lot of things across cars with Carlos and we found different directions that were interesting.”
The Monegasque thinks Ferrari have taken a positive step: “We were really struggling at Spa, and we found some pace. It shows we are going in the right direction. The lap I’m extremely happy with. The first run I didn’t do a great lap but then I managed to put everything together.”
Leclerc was also confident about the race pace, and said that he ‘felt really good’. He believes that they have the pace to win the race and that they can have a great Sunday. The Tifosi will surely love to see that sight again, as they had in 2019 when Leclerc won from pole. We shall find out tomorrow if he can repeat that result.
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Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)