Leclerc gives Ferrari first success at Monza since 2010

And the fans were exultant! By crossing the finish line as a winner this Sunday, Charles Leclerc not only won his second victory in a row in 2019 after Spa, but above all broke Ferrari's bad streak at home, the Team waiting for success at Monza since 2010 and the victory of Fernando Alonso.

The Monegasque wins at the end of a sometimes virile defense against the Mercedes de Valtteri Bottas et Lewis Hamilton after having retained control of the race at the start in front of the two Mercedes.

If the start had not seen big twists and turns in the leading positions, the 7th lap saw Sebastian Vettel go off alone at the fault of the Ascari Variant. The German then leaves without seeing Lance stroll (Racing Point) arrive: the two cars touch and the Canadian spins.

The latter then restarts his car and obliges Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso) to pass through the gravel. A sequence which could have ended much worse for everyone and at the end of which Vettel will be penalized for his unsafe return to the track with a 10″ stop&go while Stroll will be forced to observe a drive- through.

Leclerc resists Hamilton

End of the 19th lap, Lewis Hamilton is the first of the leading drivers to return to the pits and leaves on medium tires. Leclerc and Ferrari returned a lap later, but the Monegasque chose the hard tires.

Can Mercedes’ strategic choice favor Hamilton? This seems the case because if Leclerc manages to restart in front of the Mercedes, the leader is quickly put under pressure by the world champion. Hamilton tried his luck on the 23rd lap braking for the second chicane, but the Briton could not pass, Leclerc tightening the trajectory and forcing Hamilton to pass through the loophole.

The commissioners were quick to react to this maneuver and brandished the black and white flag at Leclerc. Bottas waits until the end of the 27th lap to observe his pit stop and switch to medium tires.

His stop gives back control of the race to Leclerc who manages well the two neutralizations under virtual safety car following the stop of Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) and Carlos Sainz, the right front wheel of the McLaren having been poorly tightened when the Spaniard stopped.

Hamilton cracks

If on the 36th lap, Charles Leclerc makes a small mistake when braking at the first chicane offering Hamilton the possibility of an attack, without success for the British driver, it is indeed the Mercedes driver who lets go by taking his turn in the escape from the first chicane on lap 42.

Enough to allow Charles Leclerc to breathe a little, but also for Valtteri Bottas to take second place. But the Finn will never be able to apply the same pressure as the world champion on the leader.

A small error at the first chicane on the 51st lap definitively cuts Bottas' momentum, and Leclerc finally wins in front of the two Mercedes to the delight of the fans. Superb performance from both Renault, with Daniel Ricciardo 4th in front Nico Hulkenberg.

Alex Albon (Red Bull), despite a 5″ penalty for taking an off-piste advantage against Kevin Magnussen (Haas) at the start of the race, finished 6th ahead of Sergio Pérez (Racing Point), Max Verstappen (Red Bull), well back from the back of the grid, Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) and Lando Norris which saves a point for McLaren.

Discover the full report and analysis of the Italian Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Monza, in issue 2233 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.