Grand Prix

Sensational triumph at Monza for Leclerc. Masterpiece of strategy and heart

Leclerc takes victory at the Monza Grand Prix, fans celebrate at the circuit

1 September 2024

Charles Leclerc festeggia la vittoria del Gp d’Italia. ANSA/DANIEL DAL ZENNARO

5' min read

Let's hope they make a song out of it. Monaco and Monza. An alliteration, certainly not as heavy as that of the musical catchphrase that enlivened the Italian summer.

Here the notes are different: they are symphonies for fans and convey quite different emotions. And even if the decibels of these Formula 1 hybrids are lower than at concerts, the adrenalin rush on the track is a different story. Seeing a Red win at the Italian Grand Prix rewards the involvement, taste and affection of every fan, those with a capital T, to the tip of their toes.

La grande festa Ferrari a Monza
Photogallery17 foto

Double Monza career, double achievement in 2024

Leclerc replicates another fine success he had already achieved at the Autodromo Nazionale in 2019 and, by repeating his success in the Principality, takes home his second win of 2024. Ferrari returns to winning the Italian Grand Prix after five years and it is important to show how much the unique atmosphere created in these situations is crucial in pushing Liberty Media management not to make excuses to protect historic tracks. Although different in the setup of the cars, i.e. requiring different 'parts' and calibrations than most other tracks, these two 'monumental' races, as they would say in cycling, are the essence of the sport, symbols of a tradition that deserves to be repeated, preserved and enhanced every year. Just a few days ago the Censis presented a renewed study on the economic impact of the Italian Grand Prix on the territory and industry: it is not like the summer for skiing in the mountains, there is no 'plan B'. Formula 1 is indispensable for Monza and it is just as well to remind Formula 1 that it is good and right that neither Monza nor Monaco should ever be missing from its calendar. Because otherwise, without the passion of the people and the 'historic venues', the circus would no longer be the same.

And so Leclerc was able to sign his second masterpiece of the year. Two opposing but expertly put under fire by Vasseur's men. Central goals to remain in history. Goals necessary to do well, for the driver, for the team, for the sponsors. However, there should be no illusions that Ferrari will be competitive for the rest of the season. On the other hand, it is known that Red Bull, for example, who in any case has not won for more than six races, had not dedicated as much budget to the development of a specific wing in order to limit the use of the remaining resources to later in the season, as repeated other races allow for a greater sharing of parts.

In this year's ninety-fourth edition, there is almost talk of a 'miracle' because from qualifying it emerged that McLaren was unbeatable, albeit with not very open gaps. What emerged from the outset was the driver. Despite a potentially impenetrable all-McLaren front row, in practice the best man on the stopwatch, Norris, was immediately pipped by Piastri. At the same time, the third, George Russell, did a 'straight' and was also damaged, so much so that he was 'reported' over the radio for alleged dangerousness by Perez. The positions lost at the first chicane, as in the minor categories, thus immediately benefited Leclerc who, also taking advantage of a skirmish between the two orange single-seaters, put his snout in second position already before the Roggia.

Lap after lap, Charles soon found himself in the lead because he chose to risk the single stop. He did very well and it must be said that the car also coped well in difficult conditions. It coped undeniably better with the degradation. Which is not unfair to call excessive. Or rather, beyond all expectations. Of Pirelli, for one. And therefore also of McLaren and the other rivals.

Instead, everything worked today: car, driver and the race wall's strategy. The heat, in short, was the friend of the Reds. And when there were less than ten laps to go, to be fair, there was also Sainz right behind. There was a chance for a theoretical one-two. But the consumption, especially of the front tyres, was different. So the podium was topped by Leclerc with Piastri and Norris behind him. Sainz, fourth, could have dreamed of more but nevertheless took home the satisfaction of finishing ahead of Hamilton, cautious in his consistency, and Verstappen, who had qualified on the fourth row with Perez. Only seventh was Russell: he was never able to get his car ahead of the others and, while the others took advantage of his mistakes, the Englishman did not even have enough of the others' bad luck, as in the case of the 6.2 second pit-stop excessively long by the reigning champion, which only favoured Hamilton.

Anomalous Asphalt and Degradation

Leclerc's triumphant and unexpected ride, which ended in first place under the chequered flag waved by Alessandro Del Piero, unfortunately also saw the triumph of so-called graining, i.e. excessive tyre wear. Due to high temperatures and the 'lack of cooling' from the storms surrounding the famous park, the recently renewed asphalt maintained high temperatures. It was an uncertainty that probably caught even Pirelli off guard. Considering that they were not dealing with a track full of long sweeping curves, they brought compounds that were perhaps too soft. The warnings were already there yesterday, while today came the demonstration that the double stop was indispensable. With the exception of Ferrari, in fact, the difference between the medium and hard tyres was too small. Who is to blame for this is quickly said. The main culprit is the choice of asphalt, which is cheaper and in some respects more sustainable than in the past. A new surface that, however, did not guarantee significant performance improvements; on the contrary, the cornering speed was lower than last year. The improved times, in short, are thanks to the cars and the lower kerbs. What didn't go down too well with these conditions was the thermal conductivity, which was different from other tracks. Older' tracks certainly have a lighter surface, but here it is the choice of asphalt that goes out of the tyres' range.

Finished Red Bull certainty

In less than three months Verstappen's victory is no longer a certainty, quite the contrary. There is real uncertainty about the outcome. The growth of McLaren is there for all to see, but the alternation between Mercedes and Ferrari is good for the spectacle and the unpredictability of each race. Despite a throwaway win, Norris still brings home the fastest lap. An extra point on Verstappen. Red Bull ran the entire Sunday focused on damage limitation, which translates into a lead down to 70 points from the Dutch champion to Norris, with Leclerc 33 points behind and, fourth, Piastri 13 points behind. Among the constructors, on the other hand, the gaps are very small: only 30 points from Red Bull, at 434, to McLaren (404), and 34 from Ferrari (370).

In the particular setting of Monza, only one recorded retirement, of Tsunoda, due to technical problems. No incidents and therefore several lapped cars, among which stands out that of the former winner Gasly, who drives an Alpine unable to be competitive this season. Among the other exes, also doing badly were Alonso, first among those without points (eleventh, but his team mate Stroll was last, almost two laps behind the leader) and Ricciardo, thirteenth, who paid a double penalty because of a mechanic who touched his car by mistake at the wrong time.