Charles Leclerc admits that he “did not expect” to add a second Italian GP success to the one he scored in 2019.
Leclerc won the Monza race by committing to a one-stop strategy and staying out after leader Oscar Piastri pitted for a second time.
The McLaren driver closed in on his fresher tyres, but Leclerc just managed to remain in front at the flag.
“Today I did not expect it going to the race,” said Leclerc. “I thought that we would struggle a bit more compared to the McLaren, but also compared to the Mercedes that seemed to have a really good pace on Friday.
“However, after a few laps, I saw and I felt the car was in a good place. Oscar maybe was a little bit quicker. It was difficult to see Lando’s pace, as he was behind.
“Then once we got undercut, I was like, OK, maybe we are losing the win there. But then once both pitted, I actually picked up quite a lot of front grip, having the free air in front.”
Leclerc admitted it was easier for Ferrari to take a gamble after both McLarens pitted a second time.
“And being the last car, I didn’t have much to lose by trying the one-stop,” he said. “But we did a really, really good job with that front left, which has been very, very tricky for everybody.
“We had a lot of front graining, but managed to take that front grip again. And that helped us to win today.
“To stand up on that podium in front of all the tifosi after such a week, because it’s a very tiring one. It’s an incredible feeling to be racing for Ferrari in Monza, but it’s also very tiring. And to be able to win here is extremely special.”
Leclerc said that it wasn’t clear cut that the one-stop would work, having seen the Red Bull drivers use the hard tyre in the opening stint.
“Before the race, if you would have asked me, the one-stop was definitely the thing I wanted to do,”he said. “After 10 laps, I think we saw that Red Bull started to struggle with the front left on the hard.
“And there we started to doubt the one-stop. We thought that it would be a lot more difficult because we thought that the hard would be a more difficult tyre to bring to the end.
“However, as soon as I pitted, I still thought that this was a possibility. And especially, I think, when Oscar pitted two or three laps after that.
“I felt like I had more grip not having a car in front, especially on the front tyres, and that’s where I really thought that the one-stop, we could make it work.”
