Charles Leclerc has admitted that the Italian GP and the wild celebrations that followed surpassed all of his youth dreams, with all Ferrari hero hailed as a’national treasure’ after his stunning victory.
Leclerc was roared on throughout his epic drive in Ferrari’s home race after a huge twist of emotion upon the flag, the 21-year-old was greeted by a sea of crimson and the famed Tifosi as he stepped to the podium since the Scuderia’s original Monza race-winner because 2010.
Leclerc, a self-proclaimed Ferrari fan from age five, grew up dreaming about winning races from crimson – but nothing prepared him for this.
“It has gone beyond all the dreams I’d had as a kid,” said Leclerc. “To see all of the people for a single group, singing completely – it is awesome.
“I have never been on a podium with all these people under it and to understand that the whole straight was full of folks – 99 percent red – it was great to see. Hearing them singing… there was just a lot of emotions.”
Leclerc was heralded after his Monza masterclass, together with the child since then, and Lewis Hamilton Valtteri Bottas, threw everything to acquire past withstanding a Mercedes barrage.
Even Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insisted”Ferrari have an impending great.”
Leclerc confessed his defence from Hamilton was”really about the limit”, but also that he’d do anything to not let this opportunity pass. A Ferrari driver in addition to the podium in front of the Tifosi is one of the amazing scenes of F1, also Leclerc understandably found it tough to stay concentrated in this race’s closing stages.
“Over the last two laps I started to see in the grandstand that there was really a lot of agitation, which each one of the fans were jumping,” he explained.
“So yeah, I had been telling myself’quit looking at the grandstand, look at the monitor, focus on what you are doing as a motorist and then you can enjoy whatever there’s out.’
“However, it was rather tricky to remain focused on driving, seeing just how much movement there was at the grandstand.”
Leclerc added to Sky F1:”It’s the first time in my career I actually look at the grandstand whilst driving, which is normally not so great but I simply had no option.
“They were simply jumping and cheering all race long, it was great to see. Just to win here feels very, very special.”
The Ferrari victory of leclerc did earn praise from fans, fans and team bosses – but also from Italy’s newspapers on Monday.
He was heralded by la Gazzetta dello Sport as a’national treasure’.
Corriere dello Sport crowned’king’ Leclerc, while also claiming the age had started.
Leclerc became the second-youngest driver at Ferrari’s history when he joined this year following a dazzling rookie season in F1 and said wins such as Monza showed he was”more prepared than some folks thought”.
“It’s not been an easy start to the summer, there has been a few errors,” he told reporters on Sunday night. “However, I believe I have grown.
“I understood that the critics of last yearI being too young. Second season in Ferrari and also in Formula 1 was early, for sure.
“I thank Ferrari for believing me. I’m very pleased to have these types of results to show I was more ready than some people believed.
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