Chaotic and slow: Just before the Formula 1 home game in Monza, Ferrari is deep in crisis.
Charles Leclerc laughingly squirts champagne. Charles Leclerc cheers in red in front of thousands of fans. Charles Leclerc is beaming. Before the Formula 1 home game at the weekend in Monza, the Ferrari star reminisces on social networks, three years ago he triumphed on the legendary track for Ferrari.
It was the first victory since Fernando Alonso’s success in 2010. Ferrari has won 19 times in total at Monza. And now? Leclerc and the proud Scuderia threaten their own fans with the next disaster this season full of bankruptcies, bad luck and breakdowns.
“Not the best track” for Ferrari
“On paper, Monza is not the best track for us”, Leclerc said before the classic on Sunday (September 11th, 2022), the Italian Grand Prix. It will “difficult” with the win. The experts even believe that it will be impossible.
This is of course also due to the outstanding form of the old – and almost certainly new – world champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. But above all it is also due to Ferrari itself.
Out of round for weeks – “sloppiness” allegations
After a strong start to the season, nothing has been going well at Ferrari for weeks. The “F1-75” is no longer fast enough, there were also hair-raising mistakes in strategy, most recently in Zandvoort the “Reds” were even a laughing stock – with a chaotic tire change by Carlos Sainz jr. the mechanics had forgotten a wheel. The newspapers at home were stunned by the “sloppiness”.
Great pressure at the Ferrari home game
And now Monza, the Autodromo Nazionale. Nowhere else do the hearts of Ferrari fans beat faster, nowhere is there greater euphoria surrounding the famous red racers. This is where Ferrari drivers become heroes, just like Michael Schumacher, who won four times in Monza. But nowhere else do defeats hurt as much as on the legendary asphalt.
“The Tifosi are sophisticated and knowledgeable. They can also be wild”said team boss Mattia Binotto: “They give you all their love, they support you even when things don’t go the way you want them to. And they push you to keep getting better.” Ferrari will give everything “to give them the desired result”.
Full house in Monza
Leclerc also emphasized that there are special moments when you see so many people supporting you. This year he can look forward to crowds without any restrictions in terms of spectators.
There are no more pandemic-related restrictions. “They are happy when you are and sad when you are sad. You don’t feel alone”said Leclerc.
Ferrari and Leclerc – “something is wrong”
But how should Leclerc and Co. only beat Verstappen? After his tenth win in the 15th race of the season, last at Zandvoort, he is the clear favorite going into the weekend in Italy. And then Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell is getting faster and faster.
“We are not exploiting the potential of the car, and there is something wrong that we have to get out of the world.”said Binotto. And Leclerc demanded that you now have to find the speed again, “which we had at the beginning of the season”. Otherwise it will be nothing with new jubilee pictures in red from Monza.