Charles Leclerc and the Scuderia Ferrari drove the thousands of fans rushed to the stands of the Monza Autodrome to win a victory that for the Maranello team was missing on this track from the distant 2010. For Charles it is instead the second affirmation in F1, just eight days after the first, taken at Spa-Francorchamps. The Monegasque has managed to keep the Mercedes drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, at bay with him on the podium respectively in second and third position throughout the race. For the Scuderia this is the number 237 victory in history, the nineteenth in Monza. Sunday of opposite sign for Sebastian Vettel, spun at the Variante Ascari on the sixth lap and then forced to recover from the last position which brought him to the finish line at the 13 ° place.
Departure
At the start Charles got off to a good start managing to slip into the first variant ahead of Hamilton and Bottas. Sebastian, on the other hand, found his way blocked by his rivals and this allowed Nico Hulkenberg to overtake him at the Variante della Roggia. The German regained fourth position on the next lap and began to get closer to Bottas. On lap six, however, Sebastian lost control of his SF90 at the Variante Ascari and spun. In resuming the track, he did not see that Lance Stroll's Racing Point was arriving and there was a contact between the two. Vettel therefore had to return to the pits to change the front wing, restarting with Hard tires, but due to the ten-second stop & go that was inflicted on him due to the accident with Stroll, he slipped to last place in the standings.
Very tight fight
Leclerc continued to maintain a minimum advantage over Hamilton until the British driver stopped to change the tires from Soft to Medium on the 19 lap. The team reacted by stopping the Monegasque on the next lap and making the courageous choice to send him back on the track with Hard tires. The SF90 number 16 came out ahead of the Mercedes, but Hamilton, having more temperature tires, managed to attack Charles at the Roggia. The Monegasque defended himself but from that moment began a grueling duel on the edge of the thousandths. First Hamilton, and then Bottas, managed to get close to Charles in the second sector but the Monegasque's skill and the speed of the SF90, due both to the new Power Unit introduced at Monza and to the aerodynamic package developed specifically for the Italian race, prevented the rivals to make real overtaking attempts. However, they have been 33 laps without a breather.
Finish back
In the final stages Charles managed to keep Bottas at bay by crossing the finish line first on the wings of the enthusiasm of the fans shouting from the stands. Bottas placed at 850 thousandths from the Ferrari driver. Sebastian, who changed the tires again to the 41 lap one, was able to recover six positions up to the thirteenth final place. The Formula 1 World Championship returns in two weeks to Singapore.
Charles Leclerc #16
"I can't find the words to describe the sensations I felt today during the race, immediately after its conclusion and then on the podium. Today's emotion is ten times stronger than any other proven in my career. It is something very special. When a race weekend starts I usually don't think about winning but rather doing the best job possible and I tell myself that the result will reflect the quality of what I do.
But I have to be honest: seeing all the support from our fans here in Monza, the only thing I could think of was victory and we managed to bring it home. That's why I'm incredibly happy.
The race was exciting, in the first stint I managed to keep the situation under control, but in the second I felt less at ease because I had to keep an eye on the car that followed me since it approached. Doing this for the entire second half of the race was really difficult because I felt a lot of pressure.
I want to thank the whole team for the hard work. Nothing would be possible without the boys. A pity for Seb, who certainly had the potential to be with me on the podium.
In view of the upcoming races we must remain focused and motivated. If we are able to do this I believe that the results we want will come".
Sebastian Vettel #5
"It was a great day for Charles: I congratulate him and all the boys. Undoubtedly, my Sunday was negative instead. On lap 6 I lost control of the car and ended up spinning. It was my mistake and that's why I can only be disappointed.
At the start I had a good start but I found the road blocked to the first variant putting back a position. I was able to take it back and I was starting to catch up with the riders in front of me when I made the mistake that compromised my race. I ended up on the grass and when I got back on the track I couldn't see Lance coming.
I continue to love my work but it is clear that when you do things badly, and instead you know you have the potential to do them well, you cannot be satisfied with yourself".
Mattia Binotto Team Principal
"This is probably the best podium of the whole Championship and seeing it standing on the wall, as I did today, is fantastic. It's something you remember for years. It's not the first time I've witnessed our victory at Monza, but you never get used to it because it's very special here, with all our fans celebrating. In this case it is even more special because the success comes at the end of a very long race passed to defend the first place and to duel with our rivals.
Coming here we knew we could be competitive, but we also knew that there was no room for error. Today we have seen once again how close our rivals are, but I am extremely satisfied that we were the first to go under the checkered flag this afternoon. Two consecutive victories after such a difficult start to the season are important for the whole team.
Charles drove fantastically and defended himself very well, with very few mistakes. The pressure on him has the effect of a push. He really deserved this victory!
Too bad for Seb who could have done a good race today, as he was closing the gap with Bottas. He made some mistakes, but Monza is like that, he drives at high speed and with such a light car, due to the low downforce package, braking is very difficult.
The whole team has done an impeccable job, also in terms of strategy, because I think the transition to hard tires was a courageous decision that in the end turned out to be the right choice.".
